


Fulfillment

by SurrealInfection



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BeastTale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Mobtale (Undertale), Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Horrortale Papyrus (Undertale), Horrortale Sans (Undertale), I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, M/M, Mental Health Issues, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Swapfell Papyrus (Undertale), Swapfell Sans (Undertale), Terrorism, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2020-06-02 14:50:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19443661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SurrealInfection/pseuds/SurrealInfection
Summary: Reed Lane had waited a long time to enter those gates for a chance to start fresh. It was both an opportunity and an escape with a dash of adventure to finally live among the Monsters at their 'New Home'.It would have been fine if she didn't make terrible decisions, one being that she opened her door to a plumber that wasn't a plumber, but still offered to clean her pipes.Did she mention he had a large hole in his head, or that the cleaning service was actually very dirty?No?She decided to offer the confused skeleton dinner.





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic. I hope I did this right. Tagging is a pain. 
> 
> Now let's get started with this shit show!
> 
> Oh yeah, warning for bad language and adult humor.

A year. It had been a year long trial full of official papers, interviews, legal battles, and annoying phone calls to underpaid and over worked government employees, but there she was waiting before the first gates that would open to her new home and future. Reed chuckled as the rather on the nose thought struck her. Her new home would be in ‘New Home’, the Monster city within the young tiny nation. Slender fingers tapped out a haphazard beat against her steering wheel as she waited in line, her Hyundai Sedan purring away, and AC blasting as much as it could to beat the summer heat. She was four cars back from the small gates that sat before the giant walls that surrounded the nation of Monsters. 

There where three gates, each tiny and cramped looking, a single bar keeping vehicles from passing. They certainly weren’t very secure, but this was just the first check point. The small glass boxes with one or two workers were an obvious front. They had to be. Reed smirked, painted lips curling as sharp eyes roved over the cramped looking gate houses, only one open and manned by a single Monster with a Human partner. She was the last in line, thus it gave her enough time to take in the sights. While the border didn’t look very secure, she noted the cameras obviously placed on the tiny gate houses swivel freely as though directed by hand. They would pause and move independently. 

Beyond the pitiful border guard the road was lined with small lights and decorative lamp posts, the stems holding them up looking a bit too thick. The grass along the road was lush, and thick, cut to perfection. Golden flowers made a beautiful splash of color as they lined just about everywhere. They swung on hanging baskets from a few of the posts, and created a stair step pattern on the field of manicured grass. It didn’t escape her the dark orb like shapes that hid within the flowers. Some might think them the normal mirror balls one may find in rural gardens, but the tint seemed too dark. “More cameras…”. The woman muttered before pressing gently on the gas to move forward in the line, a driver being turned away. It was taking forever just to move several feet before having to wait at least a half hour to do so again. At least she could take in the wonder that was the central gates.

The central gates where nothing like the border gates. If an ant were to stand next to a lion it could be an apt description between them. The main gates towered high, the top hitting at least three stories. They were thick, made of some sort of dark wood, and carved beautifully, the Royal Crest proudly standing out in the center. The wings, triangles and circle looked to have been created from beaten gold, and then inlaid to the wood. It was majestic, if not somewhat intimidating. Beneath the Royal Symbol someone had carved a rendition of Mt. Ebbot and the breaking of the barrier as Monsters of varying types looked to be marching from a cavern from its side. The artistry was masterful in the clean lines, and elegant swirls cut so lovingly into those doors. It was a jarring sight against the slate militant gray of the walls the doors were set in. It was a bold statement to those on the outside that the Monsters were not weak, and could defend themselves. Well, that was what Reed took out of it, that and the whole view reminded her of Jurassic Park. 

It was with that thought in mind, and the opening theme firmly stuck in her head that she was finally able to pull into the lane, the other two vehicles having been turned away in tandem. She caught a glimpse of an expensive camera pointed towards her as the Black van made its way past and understood why. They had been reporters. She snorted at their temerity. It had been well established on the News and any other platform that the Monster Royal Counsel had banned outside reporters from entering their borders. The only way they could enter was with an invitation from a member of the counsel, something that was quite rare, even more so after the bombings started. The Monster Government weren’t about to allow any more risk than necessary to keep their people safe, secure, and away from being trapped once again. Reed had to be honest, it was one of the reasons she respected the rulers. 

It was time to move forward, and she was excited, hiding it well beneath a polite smile as she rolled down her window when pulling just under the overhang of the gate. She was finally able to get a good look at the personnel of whom would be the first of several barriers to get past. A young man with silken short cut blond hair and a chiseled chin immediately marched towards her vehicle. He was tall, had an athletic build, and wore a set of military fatigues. “Army..” Reed thought as she reached into her purse for the proper paperwork to hand to him.

“Morning Miss. Identification and Paperwork please.” He was quick and to the point, his voice a low tenor, piercing blue eyes conveying that he would take no shenanigans. It made sense, considering that reporters could be annoyingly persistent, and she was sure that he hadn’t been able to let his irritation go. She mused silently that he was probably well due for a break, thus she smiled and handed all of her documents to him. “Reason for arrival?”

“Permanent.” He barely looked up to acknowledge her, only giving a curt nod. 

“Are you keeping your vehicle? Are you aware of…” The soldier paused as he narrowed his eyes at her state ID, his gaze flicking between it and her with a hint of surprise. “Didn’t think they were letting your sort in, least not for a while anyway.”

Reed burst into laughter as the soldier’s brows rose. “One would think, but here I am. It only took them and our guys a metric fuck ton of time to get the ball rolling.” She shrugged, a smirk on her lips, throwing him a wink and gesturing towards the tiny gatehouse. “But you would know all about the bullshit of bureaucracy, am I right?”

The soldier, Simmons as his name tag showed, couldn’t hold back a snort, his professional façade breaking. “No kidding.” He handed her back her forms with a shrug. “I’m sorry to say but you’re going to have to wait a little longer. Even with the Royal invitation we still need to check the database for your appointment and search your vehicle.” 

“No worries. You do what you have to. I’ve waited a year. I can wait a bit longer….”She trailed off as her attention was suddenly on a figure that moved from within the gate and into her line of sight. There stood a six foot tall dog wearing a different form of fatigues that boasted the royal crest on each arm. She balked, forgetting what she was going to say next as she took the monster in. One might have called him nervous as he was constantly moving, paws twitching every so often, head swiveling back and forth, and ears clearly picking up every sound as they never stayed still. His fur was a soft gray, ears a much darker shade, and eyes a rich black that nearly matched his spots. On his hips in a holster were a pair of knives secured in a boiled leather sheath, the handles well worn with use. “It’s no wonder his paws keep twitching. The guy is probably used to having them in his hands.” Reed thought, before calling out, “Holy crap! A bipedal pupper!” 

Simmons missed a step at her outburst as he was walking back to the shack, snorting as he attempted and failed to stifle a laugh. The monster froze with a confused, “Bork!” She burst out laughing at his bark. It was priceless and adorable. “Ey! Who you calling a Pupper human?” The dog monster stomped his way to the side of her vehicle, cocking his head to the side to eye her while she shook with amusement. “Something funny?” He growled, his lip lifting to show an impressive row of teeth. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you mate.” She spluttered as she tried to get control of herself and hiccupping. “I just, it’s just…dammit. “ She wheezed before finally pulling herself together. “I just wasn’t expecting that and then you barked. It wasn’t that funny but with all the stress I just snapped. That and, well, I kind of really want to pet you?” His fur did look very soft. 

“Don’t you even think about it!” Simmons’s shout from inside the gate made the Dog grunt, his sneer lifting to a smile and tail giving a single wag. “We’ll be here all damn day Doggo!”

‘Doggo’ chuffed a short laugh towards his partner before turning his head back to Reed his voice slightly graveled. “Sorry bout’ that human. It’s just been a long day and I assumed.” 

She furrowed her brow at that. Assumed? What had he been dealing with to assume something? Her mind swirled before it halted at the obvious answer. Racism. Ah. She felt the weight of guilt hit her in the stomach for basically calling him a meme, and it only grew heavier as she noticed that he wasn’t looking her in the eye, instead through her as though trying to see everything at once. Was he blind? She bit her lip, moving a wayward strand of hair from her face nervously. What was she supposed to say to that, however as soon as she had moved his gaze snapped to her with such sharp focus she jumped a bit. “Oh! So, forgive me if this is rude, but, are you blind…uh..ish?” Why in the world was he guarding a gate if he was blind or even near it? That was dangerous on so many counts. 

“Eh?” Doggo tilted his head at her before chuffing another laugh. “Nah. Used to be I could only see things if they moved, but not anymore.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Got contacts now.” Doggo pointed to one of his eyes, allowing Reed to see a slight shimmer over the iris. She didn’t see the normal lines of a contact, just the odd shimmer. She also couldn’t help but wonder how in the world a monster would use contacts sense they were mostly made of magic, thus didn’t have the same jelly filled flesh balls that humans did. Corrective lenses shouldn’t have worked. 

Doggo allowed her to lean forward as she investigated, his grin widening at her confusion. He was amused by the human’s concentration, and she seemed harmless, but his paws remained close to his knives. “Magic.”

“Huh?” The woman blinked, brought out of her musings at his short answer. Her brow furrowed for the barest moment before realization dawned on her, swiftly following that chagrin as she slammed her forehead into her steering wheel. “Of fucking course it is.” She groaned, mortified. It was so obvious. “Oh my stars why didn’t I think of that?!”

Simmons returned to see a chuckling Doggo and an embarrassed woman, the soldier turning towards Doggo with a questioning look. The Dog monster only grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Simmons deadpanned, knowing exactly what had happened. It wasn’t the first time this had happened with his partner. He sighed and turned his attention to Reed, and held the papers for her to take. “He told you about his contacts didn’t he?” At the word ‘contacts’ the blond used his fingers to make air quotes. “Pulled the blind act?”

“Yeah he…wait..you mean I was pranked?!"

“Get used to it. Monsters love puzzles, pranks and whatever the Hell a jape is supposed to be.”

Reed took back her papers, her mouth open. “Are you serious?”

Simmons gave her a solemn nod. “Fraid so Ma’am.”  
Reed snorted as she stuffed the papers back into their proper place, and shook her head. Doggo in the meantime simply grinned, his tail wagging. “I suppose I can live with that.” If that was a cultural thing life was going to be interesting. 

Simmons smiled, his hand resting easily out of habit on the rifle that hung over his front in a tactical sling. “Your paperwork checks out. If you could please exit the vehicle we’ll do a search and then you can go to the next check point. If you’ll stand over there please.” He made a vague gesture to the guard shack as Doggo quickly entered only to exit with something long that he handed to his partner. Reed obliged, leaving everything in her car before walking her way to a shadowed area beneath the meager covering of the shack roof where it jutted out. She watched the guards work as she leaned against a pillar, her hands in her pockets. 

The two made an efficient team. Doggo would circle the vehicle sniffing around it, pausing only if he wasn’t sure what a certain scent was. Simmons circled in a way that was always opposite to the dog monster, a long metal rod in his hand that had a round mirror with wheels attached to it. He would roll the mirror around beneath the car in a meticulous pattern to ensure he could see everything he could of the undercarriage, sometimes having to force an awkward angle just to be sure. Once the external search was finished Simmons set the stick aside to open all of the doors and trunk to allow Doggo easy access to sniff around. As soon as Doggo deemed it appropriate the human soldier ducked in to search every compartment he could, even including under her steering wheel. They found nothing save for a box of mint thin cookies that hadn’t been opened. Once they finished they placed everything back, and shut the doors, Simmons carrying the box to Reed and giving it a shake with a raised brow. “Sorry Ma’am but outside food is prohibited at this gate."

She merely shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to take it off my hands then. Can’t let good food go to waste right? No sense in throwing away Girl Scout cookies. That would be a tragedy.” Her grin was knowing and she didn’t miss the flash of gratitude in the soldiers sky blue eyes. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replied, setting the box on one of the concrete stands.

“What’s that?” Doggo sniffed the box curiously, his face alight with interest, his tongue lolling.

“Edible contraband. Sorry Doggo, but chocolate is bad for dogs. I’ll have to take care of it myself.” Simmons held a hand over his heart as though it was breaking for the Monster over the thought of being unable to eat the delicious cookies.

Doggo barked a laugh. “I’m a monster.”, before deftly picking up the box and shoving it into one of his cargo pockets.

“Hey!” Simmons gave a halfhearted protest, but relented with the shake of his head. He turned back to Reed. “Well Ms. Lane, you’re free to go. Just head toward the main gate and take the side door. Don’t worry you’ll see it once you get close. The large doors are just for show for now.” 

Reed nodded, happy to once again be on track, and entered her car. As she placed it into gear she waved to the two with a smile. “Thanks guys. Be safe.”

“Thank you Ma’am. You too.” 

Doggo simply waved, his mouth already full of his sweet prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Off we go into the wild blue yonder....  
> Reed: The heck is up with those gates? They're huge!  
> Simmons: mood  
> Reed: what no "that's what she said" joke?  
> Simmons: bite me.  
> Doggo: Bork?  
> Simmons: No! Bad Doggo! Stay!  
> Reed: Dat's racist.
> 
> Thanks for reading this far folks! Im sorry if anything is out of sorts. It's been ages since I wrote anything, and this was all on tablet (uploaded via phone). First timer for AO3 though. Please feel free to leave a comment or critique.  
> Y'all stay gorgeous!


	2. The Liaison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reed Lane begins her journey into the world of monsters through more doors. 
> 
> Also, there's decor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, writing this has made me think about how many doors you have to walk through in an airport. 
> 
> Too many.

Simmons wasn’t joking when he had stated that she would see the door, however while it was much smaller than the grandeur of the main gates, it was still noteworthy. It was at least three cars wide, and opened like a garage door, the coloring the same slate gray as the wall. Reed supposed it was to make the opening less conspicuous but the cameras on either side didn’t help. As she drove down the lane the door slid away to showcase a parking area inside the wall itself. The parking area was nothing special, having marked lines for spaces, arrows pointing the direction of traffic, and, of course, more cameras.

Reed pulled into a spot, noting that hers was the only vehicle, and gathered what little she had brought before exiting the car. She didn’t bother to lock the sedan as she was to drop off her keys to an attendant inside the wall proper. Her heels clicked against the pavement eerily, the sound bouncing off the walls within the barren area. Small signs pointed the woman towards a set of metal double doors, they too just as Spartan looking as the garage. Just before she stepped through she drew in a long breath, willing her heart to slow, and double checked her suit for any wrinkles. She hated wearing it, the fashion feeling too restricting while simultaneously having whomever wearing it stand out for people to judge, but it was an important day and she wanted to start on the right foot. She just hoped she wouldn’t trip over said foot, and opened the door.

Reed was greeted to the sight of glass and steel. Before her was the last checkpoint. She stood in a large long room that reminded her heavily of airport security. There were machines meant to scan luggage, line dividers to keep people from milling in a gaggle of chaos, trash bins for contraband, and of course, more uniformed personnel. There had to of been at least eight stations but only one was open. Here and there guards meandered, each looking bored or sullen. She noted that they were all monsters, and from what she could gather, most seemed to be of either Fell clan, or SwapFell clan. The guards wore nothing like Doggo had, their uniforms boasting the colors of their clans from a deep royal purple to rich crimson as accents over a mix of fabric and black armor. One such monster was a behemoth scarred canine that donned a full set of armor, theirs accented in the red of Fell. Another looked to be an alligator, her teeth refined to a razor edge sneer and light colored hair pulled into a bun by a purple ribbon. 

“Welp, best get this over with.” With that, and a warning growl aimed at her by one of the canines, Reed hurried her way to the alligator and the scanner the scaled guard stood by, picking at her violet painted claws. 

It took her over an hour, but she was finally headed through one set of double doors in the glass wall. The woman grimaced as she went over how horrible the security checkpoint had been. Sure the guards were intimidating, but they had been at least somewhat polite. Her issue wasn’t with them but the fact that no matter where a person went, anything like airport security was going to have its problems. Hers was with having to wait for someone to call up the chain of command to get some sort of clarification over her personal paperwork about the scanning process. She had a medical waiver but that just didn’t seem good enough. They were adamant that she go through the soul scanner but she staunchly refused. At first Reed wondered if she was about to be tossed out on her rear but, by some miracle, they decided to have her sit down in a chair and wait for verification. It was a good thing that she was the only traveler there so they must have just been glad to have something to do, even if they didn’t look it. Once the guards had been given the go ahead, with some muffled shrill screaming through a door to an office on the floor, she was let loose to enter the concourse area proper to meet with her liaison. 

Reed sighed with relief as a gust of cool air wafted over her face as she moved into the lobby, glad for the escape from the stifling atmosphere she had left behind, before a soft gasp left her, and her eyes widened.

The main area was as open, vast, and nearly devoid of people. Somewhere the sound of a babbling water fixture could be heard beyond the tall mahogany board before her, it’s gold gilded face reading the times and destinations of various train lines in ebony bold block font. As she stepped around the board she was greeted with a warm sight. The floor was made from some sort of polished stone colored in green and grey to mimic a grassy path, its lanes lazily winding in different directions down halls, or to closed shops of varying degree. Behind the board was the source of the calming water sounds. In a pool of clear water surrounded by softly glowing plants a statue at least six feet in height of a horned monster sat, its head bowed respectfully, and a box in its paws. Water poured from the half opened box to trickle down the statues lap into the water. Upon closer inspection Reed could see a soft smile on its maw and hear a faint music box lullaby under the babble of the waterfall. She couldn’t help but feel a little more hopeful as she stood by the fixture, her own lips lifting into a smile mirroring the horned giant’s.

She moved her gaze back to the concourse at large, finding herself impressed with the care given to it, and perhaps in slight awe. Strategically placed clear and colored glass panes in the vaulted ceiling allowed multicolored beams to rain down on the various seating areas, pillars, and shops. The seats where a mixture of singles, benches, and doubles, all made from golden stained oak, and upholstered in a gentle plush violet. Between rows where raised platforms of vibrant flowers, grass, and more of those wrought iron posts that had been seen at the border gate. Hundreds of glowing stones had been set into the walls in flowing artistic designs, while others had been hidden within foliage to add an almost mystical feel to the area.

If it weren’t for the many lighted frames boasting travel to the Monster Country, its city, and culture, the plaza may have seemed like some sort of holy cathedral, that is, if cathedrals had shops that sold donuts or conveyor belts on the floor like one would find at an international airport. A lone empty information booth stood center, proudly waiting for the days of busy travel that the Royal Counsel must have prepared for. “It’s too bad that won’t happen any time soon.” Reed thought, her smile falling slightly before lifting into a bright grin as her gaze landed on the figure in a pale pink suit primly sitting in front of the giant glass wall showing the train platforms beyond the waiting areas, a thick black purse and manilla envelope in her lap.

“Catty!” Reed called to the only other person there that wasn’t a guard, and lifted her hand in a happy wave. Catty of First Clan looked up quickly to spot the human woman speed walking towards her and shattered her calm professional appearance with an excited high pitched squeal. 

“Reed! Like hi!” The grey cat monster leapt to her feet, her face lifted with a brilliant smile, two fangs poking out from the soft fur of her lips, and marigold eyes wide. “Like, how was the trip?”

Reed couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the broad cat monster, the very air around her alight with a sparkling joy punctuated by the sway of her ringed tail. “It’s the first time we meet in person and you forgot your speech lessons huh?” She raised an eyebrow, mocking a chastising tone, hands on her hips. For her part Catty merely chortled behind her paw, and rolled her eyes.

“Like yeah, but you’re finally here! My first real human client and it’s been like totally ages! I’m so excited, and..” Catty trailed off as she looked at a silver watch wrapped around her wrist, her ears suddenly flat and mood turning panicked. “Oh my gawd! We’re gonna be late!” She wrapped her free paw around the human’s wrist and tugged her to the doors in the platform wall where beyond a single train waited.

The so called ‘train’ looked more like a single trolley car, the sides painted in a vibrant red with yellow trim. The front and back had a tiny balcony, complete with railings too short to be secure. It rested on the only available track, all the others closed off by thick crimson ropes, and lacking any sort of vehicle, train or not. There seemed to be at least four main tracks that Reed could only theorize would branch out to other areas of the small country. The platforms had been raised to make passage easily accessible, but it was the bridge that made the otherwise quaint area blend with the regal lobby behind them. The foot bridge was, like many areas, lined with glass for safety but that was the only modern touch. It looked to be made of a dark oak for the rails, the languid arch created from natural river stones the size of a human fist. Every so often instead of a gray or slate stone a large glowing crystal added its light to the area. Hanging baskets of ivy, violets, and baby’s breath swayed in a nonexistent breeze. More ivy wound its way through the bannister, posts, and even between the wide spaced slats in the roof. Tiny motes of light danced lazily in the air like everlasting firefly’s, never leaving the bridge, or its semi open roof obviously designed to show the sky. 

Reed stumbled slightly as she tried to keep up, internally cursing her choice of heels whilst envying Catty’s much more reasonable, if wide, flats. “Not my fault security held me up.”, She stuttered as Catty dragged her along the platform, waving the envelope around trying to catch the attention of a bright pink bird Monster dressed interestingly like a bellhop. 

“Like who cares? Let’s go!” The cat monster barreled her way onto the train, barely missing the startled bird as they threw the narrow door open with not a second to spare. Reed threw the poor staff an apologetic glance, but could not do more as her liaison tossed her easily onto one of the two bench seats, plopping down right next to her.

“She’s stronger than she looks.” Reed thought to herself as she made an awkward attempt to right her posture as the car suddenly lurched forward, throwing the woman once more to the side, her face firmly planting into the grass green upholstery, lipstick surely smudged. “I guess this is my life now. Hello bench, have you met floor? I have and I must say you’re a far better kisser. Don’t tell floor, they might get jealous and try too hard next time we meet.” It was in the moment of internal dialogue that she remembered she probably should have slept the last night, she was beginning to rant in her thoughts. If she wasn’t careful she would probably go crazy, well, crazier. 

It was right as Reed began to contemplate the gentle rocking of the trolley being too nice for the waking world that Catty spoke up. “Like,”, She tittered, “You okay there Reed?..er..Ms. Lane.”

The woman in question’s response was to lift up a hand with the universal ‘OK’ sign her face still in the seat, and rear threatening to tip off of the polished wood portion of the bench. “Just being friendly with the furniture, don’t mind me.” 

She was exhausted, and she had barely gotten through the beginning of her schedule. The woman drew in a breath for a sigh that would hopefully power her through the rest of the day when she paused, before lifting herself to her elbows, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why does the cushion smell like butterscotch?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catty: The other one smells like cinnamon.
> 
> Reed: wat. 
> 
> Catty: It’s like, totally a Monster Culture thing.
> 
> Reed: How the fuck does making a communal butt holster smell like food become a culture thing?
> 
> Catty: (giggles)
> 
> Reed: You’re shitting me.
> 
> Catty: (Continues to giggle and takes out her phone)
> 
> Reed: No seriously, you have to be taking the piss. Is this one of those japes that I heard about? 
> 
> Catty: (Falls over)
> 
> Reed: (Gasp) Now the bench is cheating on me!
> 
> Hello dears! I swear we’ll get to the plot soon! The world building must happen. My brain won’t let me be until some details are set. Thank you for being patient and gracias, merci, danke' to you lovelies that left comments and kudos! It’s very much appreciated.  
> Ya’ll stay your gorgeous selves!  
> See you next chapter.


	3. Conversations and boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reed and Catty chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many words!  
> Hope y'all enjoy some character conversation and oodles of informational stuff.

Reed found herself frowning at the cat monster as she giggled not bothering to give the human woman an answer. After a moment she could only shake her head, righting her frame to sit more comfortably on the seat, the small back pack that she had taken from her car, thankfully spared from the fall, settled between the two. “I swear, you’re having way too much fun with this.”

Catty clapped her paws together, delight shining from her slit eyes. “Like yeah! Of course! After over a year we finally get to meet in person. It’s totally awesome, and like, this is my first actual case.” One of her ears twitched as a mischievous look overtook her furred features. “Though, I gotta’ say. I thought you’d be like, totally less clumsy.”

Reed snorted. “Well it’s not everyday I get tossed around like a sack of potatoes you know. Kinda’ rude for a liaison don’t you think?” She pointed a finger to the cat teasingly, before wagging it like a scolding mother. “Shame on you, treating your client like luggage. I’m hurt.”

Catty merely dissolved into another set of giggles, used to the banter after so many hours upon hours of conversations they held over the internet. 

“Speaking of luggage”, Reed continued, taking in the cabin fully, noticing a few things lacking from a normal train ride. “Where the heck would anyone put anything. You’re expecting to have a booming travel industry later, but where are people going to pack their stuff? Don’t tell me this single car is just for me, cause I highly doubt it. I’m no dignitary.”

She made her point by waving a hand around the cabin. While it was certainly comfortable with the plush benches, and leather hand holds for standing room, it was also quite aesthetically pleasing. The green of the upholstery went well with the golden oak of the interior furnishings. Wood paneling framed the windows, the ceiling, and two doors opposite of one another. The floor was carpeted in a deep burgundy, outlined in gold leaf designs that seemed to shimmer from the color changing flames trapped behind the glass cages of metal sconces that had been placed strategically between windows and on the doors. It was all well and good, even the small shallow cabinets set at her head height added to the homey feeling, but they didn’t exactly look like they could hold anything bigger than a thick book. 

Catty shook her head, still obviously amused. “There’s, like, plenty of room. Just watch.” She pointed a manicured claw to the back pack before holding her hand open to Reed. Confused the human lifted it to pass off to the monster. With a nod Catty lifted the pack, stood, and proceeded to open the cabinet directly above the two. There was nothing inside, literally, not even light seemed to pass through the darkness within. The space was filled with a void that if stared at for too long, Reed was certain she would get a headache. Before she could ask what was going on, the cat monster lifted a finger towards the space, a cyan screen popped into existence showing a grid work pattern. She then lifted the pack to touch its strap to a box. There was a high pitched ping and the bag was gone. Inside the grid work a box had been filled with what looked to be a three dimensional depiction of the backpack in miniature. Catty turned back to Reed, her paws on her hips and a smug grin, made more poignant by her delicate fangs. “See?”

The human sat for a moment, her mouth open in shock before snapping out of it and onto her feet in excitement. “Holy fucking shit! What? Catty!” The monster giggled as Reed pinched her sleeve and shook it. “That’s supposed to be impossible! I mean seriously! Where? How!? What the shit?”

The liaison burst into full laughter as the human continued in excitement. It was amusing to see her acting like a small child. “They’re like, dimensional boxes. They’re everywhere. We even have them in our phones to carry stuff.”

“That is stupidly neat, you know that right?” Reed chuckled when Catty closed the cabinet, both women sitting back down in their seats to face one another. “This is already starting out to be an adventure. Fucking Stars, I knew that monsters had different technology, but I had no idea it was this advanced. I’m pretty sure that thing both breaks and proves various laws of physics. I wish I knew how it works.” Suddenly she snapped her hand up, her palm facing the cat before she could answer, “And don’t say ‘magic’. I’ve heard that way too many times.” 

“But that’s a big part of it.” 

“Don’t care.”

“Awww, like, don’t be like that.”

“Nope. Subject change.” Reed waved the cat off, shaking her head, “I’m already in for the ignorant human gimmick when I move in. I want a little more time before I get so sick of it I wind up a hermit. So, shall we get to the boring work stuff?” She raised a brow as Catty huffed a pout, her fun spoiled.

“Sure, like, fine”, her liaison whinged, drawing out the last word, “Paperwork first or do you, like, have any questions?”

“Well if we’re getting onto it, you might as well practice what I taught you about speech while we have this little meeting.” The monster’s pout only deepened until Reed crossed her arms with a stern look. 

“Okay, okay” The cat then smirked, “But you can’t cuss until we get there.” 

Reed blanched, “Hard bargain, but, sure I can try.” They both nodded, and shook hands, only chuckling a bit at their antics. 

“It’s no wonder they chose you to teach.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“You li…”the cat corrected herself mid sentence, “You’re really good at knowing how to motivate your students.”

“You’re not a student though? I just wanted to help you with professionalism. Humans can be judgmental on the smallest things, the way one speaks notwithstanding.”

Catty rolled her eyes, “You’ve told me, but you took the initiative to help. That’s why the Counsel wanted you as a human lecturer. You’re not here just for the medical visa.” The monster pointed out, Reed trying to cover a wince. “Oh yeah! Here’s your papers and stuff.” 

The woman caught the thick manila envelope that was tossed into her lap, the thing slightly heavy and lumpy. “It’s got your in processing papers, Identity card, house key, and a traveler guide to the city in it. You won’t need the papers until we get to the City Hall and Hospital though. Did you bring your electronics?”

“They’re in my backpack.”

Catty nodded, her expression light but serious. It still impressed Reed how far along the cat monster had come in the year that they had known one another. Catty had been so chaotic and, well, catty, but after a few video meetings they had found a groove to settle into. The monster had been appointed to her through a joint government program designed to allow humans and monsters to get to know one another as a means to further integration and understanding. Subscription to it, and hours served was one of the many requirements for a human to fulfill before they could be considered for a visa, let alone dual citizenship, to the Monster Country. During their chats, that could last for hours, they had become somewhat close. It was months later that Catty decided to apply for a Liaison position and Reed offered to help the monster with understanding human social customs when it came to an official title and working environment. Acting like the ‘Valley Girl’ stereotype would not have done the earnest cat any favors. Reed felt a bubble of pride in her chest. Catty had come a long way, and grown quite a bit sense then.

“Is there anything you need from it, or can you leave it with me?”

“For processing right? No worries. I made sure to only have my lap top, tablet, and phone in there.” The human patted her purse. “I’ve got my essentials here.”

“Nice! So, like, you’ll get them back in twenty four hours, maybe forty eight at the most. Your car will take at least a week since the upgrades to it will take a little while. The parts need to be matched and more need to be made.” Catty looked up in thought, a claw tapping her chin. “I’m not sure exactly what they’re doing to it, but it’s totally supposed to help with the environment. Everything runs off of magic and electricity. There’s a lot of fuel stations only in the main city, so if you want to, like, visit other areas you’ll have to use the rail lines, unless it’s just to one of the nearby villages. They usually, like, have at least one. Monsters can fuel their cars and stuff with a magic boost and a wall plug if they can’t find a station or have extra cells, but it’s like totally super exhausting and extra cells aren’t normally allowed for personal use.”

Reed nodded at that, noting the cat’s slip up but choosing not to say anything as she seemed to be on a roll. “I wonder how much she practiced this.” She wondered silently, that bubble of pride growing as the cat monster continued.

“So yeah, since your car is already registered and junk, once they’re done it’ll be dropped off at your new place. You can drive right after that, but you’ll need to have your license switched over and your citizen I.D. updated within a week.”

“Anything else?” Reed prompted as Catty trailed off, her ears twitching as she concentrated.

“I think? Anyway, that’s how it’s gonna….going to be for your car, but for your phone and other stuff the tech people will be updating and upgrading them. That way you can use the monster network and human internet at the same time.” She grinned and pointed to the cabinet, “Your phone is going to have dimensional boxes too so that’s cool right?”

“Definitely!” Reed smiled happily at Catty, however she couldn’t help thinking that it seemed somewhat strange to have her communication devices taken for upgrades directly upon arrival. She idly wondered what kind of software would be downloaded. Would it track her movements? Could her systems be shut down at any time? Where they combing through her personal files to check for security issues? She wouldn’t be surprised if they did. While on the surface her government and the Monster Nation were on good terms, but that was obviously a lie. After all, recent history showed just how little her government cared when it came to the safety and security of their newest ally.

It was merely two months prior when the last attack had been made, a truck full of home made explosives and a brick on the accelerator crashing into one of the commerce gates when they where checking in a moving truck. That day a monster and two humans had died. The monster had been dusted has they attempted to save the driver and passenger from the raging inferno caused by the weaponized vehicle. Apparently there had been a secondary explosion that rocketed gooey bits of accelerant in all directions. The two humans died later from burns and other complications. The driver himself had died on the way to the hospital from internal bleeding, his son two days later. 

The news hadn’t said anything on the matter, Reed only finding out through video sharing sites and forum posts from other users interested in the monsters. It was disheartening to know that the world was left mostly unaware of the attacks on a peaceful peoples, only able to glean information from hearsay and activist groups. She remembered combing through forum and video histories as she was made increasingly aware of how bad things had become. The truck attack was just one in a long line of guerilla like attempts on the monsters and humans that worked with them. So many deaths had been tallied over the five years they had been on the surface, but all smothered under an uncaring government hand. 

It wasn’t anything new. Reed wasn’t surprised at all by the lackluster stance her government had when it came to terrorism against the monsters. They had made it fairly clear, to her, from the very start when the monsters were given land in the first peace treaty for their peoples to settle in. Said land had been poisoned by heavy radiation, and who knew what else. It was meant to be a vicious back hand dressed up prettily like a present. It was their poison apple meant to erode the monsters hope while simultaneously rallying public opinion against them. 

The land in question was nearly half a state in size, but made unlivable when the barrier broke. On that day waves of energy had been released into the world. Electronics failed, storms changed course, and the earth rumbled. Mt. Ebbot had woken with a thunderous yawn, making itself known. Unfortunately, those sudden changes had caused the nearest areas to be effected the most. There where several government labs, and nuclear plants, that had been hit hard, their fail safes, of course, failing. It was a chain reaction, one after the other, melt down. The monsters had been unaware of the catastrophe during that time, their eyes on a beautiful sky they had only a little hope of ever seeing in their lifetimes. 

It didn’t take long for reports of the damages and rescue efforts to be overshadowed by the appearance of the new species. It took even less time for people to blame the creatures for the thousands of lives lost, and land destroyed in the tragedy. In a single day the world was changed, magic was made real, and monsters hope turned to trepidation as they were faced by the hostility of millions for something they had no hand in. 

The monsters had been detained, forced to stay in the mountain prison they had finally escaped after thousands of years. Many had been dusted, some in scuffles, others from attacking locals, and more beneath falling rocks as the mountain began to slowly crumble inward. The first King and Queen did their best, with their ambassador at their side, to try to placate the human government and its peoples. They pleaded, debated, and sometimes even begged, but to no avail. The monsters future seemed bleak.

That was how it seemed, until one person spoke up, changing history once again. It had been a single video that became the monsters saving grace. One of the surviving workers made their case, hidden behind clever lighting, and even better editing. The person spoke in a modulated voice about how they were part of the teams that helped to build the systems for the labs, and how they had been used for the other surrounding nuclear plants. Corners had been cut by the company to save money. It had all come down to faulty wiring and shoddy EMP shielding. The company had been a government contractor. Suddenly the public opinion and vengeful malice had a new direction to go, and it was a torrential backlash. The video had gone viral. People began talking and searching to verify the truth. Humanitarian groups began shouting. More groups started to rise. Monsters had allies. There was an attempt to squash the video, but it was in vain.

Nothing is ever fully deleted from the internet after all.

In order to save face the human government began to make apologies, the president giving a four hour long speech. The King and Queen were given air time on the news, and invited to the presidential estate. Slowly the armed forces were pulled away from the boundaries of Mt. Ebbot. The monsters could begin to breath again. Eventually a peace treaty was made, an olive branch given. The land and Mt. Ebbot were released to the monsters to use as they pleased, with promises of humanitarian support and monetary reparations. It was easy to see that those stuffed shirts were salty over being called out. If the monsters denied the land, they would look greedy, but even if they kept it they couldn’t use it. To the government officials it was a win-win situation where the new race could be kept underfoot. 

Unfortunately, they had forgotten that magic existed. In all their wisdom the first Royal family had been incredibly graceful in receiving the land as their own, free and clear, showering the human nation and its government with heartfelt gratitude and promises to return the generosity. In less than six months the dying ecosystem, abandoned buildings, and farmland left fallow, had been revitalized. Reports of magic healing spread like wild fire as monster healers were shown to cure otherwise terminal ailments. Families that had been torn and hurt by the tragedy were given leave to join the new Country with free healthcare, or given compensation with healthcare temporary visas. New technological advances left people in awe as the internet was over flowing with posts on new food production, clean energy, and so much more. The ‘Monster Country’ literally rose from the ashes in record time. It was rich from the rare metals in Mt. Ebbot, gems, and their own pure gold currency. The world was left reeling, again, as news spread about the medical cures magic could provide. Countries overseas began to show positive interest in the infant Country, causing the more local human government to become nervous. Thus the monsters were left to govern themselves, protective walls erected, and borders respected. They had become a national power. It was no longer surprising, they had cured cancer, provided a possible fix for the energy crises, and cleaned radiation in less than a year. The monsters had started off as pariahs, then became the underdog, to finish as heroes. 

Of course there were still bigots, and those that would profit from their hate, hence the terrorism left largely ignored by the human government.

“Reed! Hey! Are you listening?” The woman in question jolted from her thoughts, blinking owlishly at her Liaison, her serious train of thought crashing.

“What? Oh. Shit sorry about that Catty.” She ran her fingers through her hair, giving the cat a small apologetic smile. “I got lost in thought.”

Catty shook her head, and wagged her finger at the human, imitating her from before, “You should, like, pay attention. You also like totally cursed.” She grinned smugly, “I win.”

“That’s not fair! You’ve been saying ‘like’, like a lot you know.” They both paused, the women staring at each other. It was a few seconds before Reed slapped a hand to her face with an audible groan. “Dammit, now I’m doing it.” The cabin was filled with laughter, one heartily enjoying the others chagrin, whilst the other chuckled over their silliness.

“Okay, like, so we’re even then?” 

Reed nodded and waved a hand for Catty to continue. “Go on then. I’m paying attention.”

Catty rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine. Okay so what I was talking about was your schedule, but, like, that’s also all in your paper work. “She pointed at the envelope that sat innocently on the floor where Reed had dropped it in her shock over the dimensional box, “So I’m just gonna’ go over the other stuff.”

Catty straightened her suit, smoothing the front as she attempted to get back into her more professional frame of mind while Reed bent to pick up the envelope, “So, anyway, our first stop will be to the City Hall for in processing, then the Hospital for your patient registration and medicine. Then we’ll take you to your new house. I’ll be checking up on you during the first week and taking you to your appointments. Once you have your car, we can just do calls after that unless you want to do lunch or something. After that first week, if everything goes well, we sign off that you’re good to go. From there you’ll, like, see a counselor for however long your therapist feels you need until they think you’re fully integrated. Oh! I almost forgot.” Catty shoved a paw into her large purse to produce a small black velvet box, handing it to a perplexed Reed. “This is yours. You should wear it at all times, unless you’re, like, alone in your house or something.”

The human woman shifted the box around, and ran a nail along the side to flip the tiny golden catch to open it. Inside, nestled into a padded, protective, mauve satin rested a silver heart shaped locket. It was innocent enough, the light making the metal gleam, the Royal symbol engraving on its face seeming to shimmer. She lifted the necklace by the delicate chain and hummed approvingly at the simple but beautiful design. She shifted her hair to put it on, the heart finding a home between her breasts. “It’s pretty. So this is for my privacy right?”

Catty nodded, her ears lowering slightly, smile a little less exuberant. “Yeah. With that you won’t be able to be, like, pulled into an encounter.”

“That’s good. We wouldn’t want it to get awkward if my soul got pulled out.” Reed reached to take the cat monsters paw. “I really appreciate the lengths you all have gone to ensure my privacy. I remember reading about how monsters view souls, and how important encounters can be to your culture, so, thank you.”

She received a reassuring squeeze, internally squeaking about just how soft the cat’s paw was, before Catty let her hand go. “It’s, like totally no big deal.” She brightened, taking a sudden breath to speak again, “Plus, eventually you hopefully won’t need it anymore right? For now you should just think about all the fun you’ll have and all the new friends you’re gonna’ make here!”

Reed huffed in amusement, and shook her head side to side. One of the things she liked about the cat was her optimism, bouts of flightiness and pettiness aside. “Let’s just focus on getting through the day and the official stuff first.”

Catty pouted, “That’s no fun.”

“That’s being an adult.” Reed smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reed: Fuck the government.  
> Catty: What?  
> Reed: Nothing, so about that official adult stuff.  
> Catty: You'll make so many friends.  
> Reed: ....so about that official adult stuff.  
> Catty: (pouts)  
> Reed: (pats self on the back for smooth deflection)


	4. Moving Violation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more talking and a few explanations.  
> I like trains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure to read the end notes. Enjoy the ride. <3

It was always nice to be able to tease someone, especially when they were stuck with the one taunting them, unable to escape. Reed contemplated that thought when she had quipped back at Catty, finding her pout absolutely adorable. 

Her well dressed fuzzy companion rolled her eyes, “Like fine, but”, she held up a finger, “We should go over some things first right? I mean, I know you tested well and stuff, but like, that’s one thing. I wanna’ know about the general stuff on, like, the fly.”

Reed frowned, wondering where she was going, but shrugged it off, curious to see what Catty was getting at. She crossed her legs, folding her hands atop her knees, the very picture of polite interest, and waved a hand for her liaison to continue. 

“So, okay, you know some stuff about souls, and how our politics are right?”

Reed nodded, “I know what I was told. Soul science and the theories surrounding it is currently being heavily debated outside of the wall, but inside it’s a huge, if mostly classified, field of study. There are several different sections of the royal science labs dedicated solely to the research, many openly sharing with one another. From what I read in those packets you gave me, the Soul is the very culmination of our being and is an actual vessel housed inside of each individual. Only magic can draw it out in a materialized form. When taking a Soul scan, a person has stats. These stats being Attack, Defense, Hope, Level of Violence, and Execution points. While monsters have white Souls with colored magic, humans have colored Souls based on the main seven traits, but due to new discoveries, and with a large sampling of human souls, it’s been found that humans don’t always have a single color, or even a base color of one set trait. The single soul trait, however, is most prevalent in children and often changes as they grow through experience and personal choices. Souls are a big deal for Monster culture, and are considered to be very private, thus it’s taboo to have one revealed outside of an encounter or an official health check.” She paused as she wracked her brain for anything she may have forgotten, “I think that’s pretty much it for the basics on Souls.”

Catty nodded, “Okay, now, like, what about our government? How’s it set up?”

“Do I really have to go over all this? I already passed all the requirements for citizenship you know.” Reed couldn’t help but grouse. She had gone over all the details constantly during her application process. It was hours upon days trying to memorize as much as she could for her citizenship test.

Her liaison chuckled patiently, “I know you know this, but I wanna’ see how you take being questioned. You like, so sound like a teacher and when we get to the college for your final interview, they’ll ask this stuff too.”

“So, this is basically a rehearsal for my hazing.” It wasn’t a question.

“It’s called being an adult.” Catty responded cheekily.

“Fine”, The human sighed supposing that turnabout was fair play, lightly cursing her traveling companion for using her own words against her internally, “ Alright, so about the Government break down. Monsters are set up into clans, with each clan having a respective pair of leaders. Every clan is lead by royals save for one, the Fallow Clan. They’re headed by a pair of representatives until either their queen can regain the title or a better fit is found. The Clan leaders make up the Monster Counsel, and all major legislation or rulings are met through them as a whole. While the Royal Counsel is the major power in Monster Country, they do not have final say in everything. Often, when it comes to issues not of national security or similar such as territories, business lines, roads, and so on, a docket is released to the public every six months, listing the concerns and possible changes to be made in the local districts, along side a digital packet detailing exactly what is being voted on. It’s then left up to the citizens to vote on what actions to take. The final tally will be what the council proceeds on based upon the will of the people.” 

“Okay, so like, name the Clans.”

“There are seven clans. In the order of ascension, there’s the First Clan, the Swap Clan, Fell Clan, Roulette Clan, Swap Fell Clan, Beast Clan and lastly the Fallow Clan.” Reed took a breath, eyeing Catty before deciding to simply spout as much as she knew, hoping that it would appease her. “There are clans because of how the ascension happened, or rather the various ascensions. The Underground was larger than anyone had first thought, including yourselves. It was found after the Swap Clan surfaced that Mt. Ebott had a massive cave system beneath it. It’s theorized that cave ins ages ago had separated the trapped populace as they fled to different parts of the system to escape being crushed. This resulted in them being trapped in their own pockets beneath the mountain. It had happened so long ago that each clan had assumed they were the only ones. The barrier breaking created a way for all the lost Monsters to reunite as the mountain is no longer held up by the barrier, or it’s breaking caused enough rock shifts for the Clans to dig their way out. I’m not sure which it is, just that Mt. Ebott is a no go zone because of how dangerous it is in light of the unstable ground and possible sink holes. It’s for that reason that Mt. Ebott is off limits to civilians and any other personnel not otherwise given leave by the counsel. Even the local human authorities cannot go within the boundaries of the mountain.” 

“You sound like you’re reading directly off the pamphlet.”, Catty chuckled earning her an annoyed glare from Reed. 

“Well, you asked me to go over all this.” The human rolled her eyes as her companion tittered.  
“Come on, you’re doing so good!”

“I’m supposed to be lecturing on human culture to monsters, not the other way around.”

“Yeah, but like, it helps to show that you know about us and junk so the students respect you more.”

“Yeah I know.”, Reed gave a long sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Let’s keep going.”

“Okay, like, what about the Clan leaders? What are their names?”

“There’s Toriel and Asgore of First Clan, and,” Reed faltered, her gaze shifting to the suddenly very interesting bench in front of them, blurting out, “So how did they get the seats to smell so nice? I think it’s growing on me.” 

Deflection was used;

It was ineffective. 

Catty’s expression fell to a frown, her whiskers quivering, belaying her hidden amusement, “Like seriously?”

“What? I got it mostly right on the test!”

“It was multiple choice.”

“You’re seriously expecting me to remember all fourteen names of the counsel members when I, and most of my birth country, can’t even name more than a few past the POTUS and anyone running during the election year? If it weren’t for social media I’m certain most wouldn’t even remember any past the President them self.” Reed grumbled petulantly.

Catty, unable to hold her stern frown, burst into giggles. “Like, you have a point, but try to remember them soon okay? They’re, like, the one’s that signed your letter of acceptance.”

“I know.” Reed whined, drawing out the last word. “I’ve just been busy, excited, and have only had maybe four hours of sleep. Give me some slack!”

The monster cat tittered into her paw, her shoulders bouncing. It was obvious that she was laughing at Reed but the human couldn’t blame her. It had been an adventurous day already yet it was still only morning with far more to come. Her pout tilted to a warm smile as she shook her head. “Oh stop it. You can laugh at me later when I trip all over myself at the appointments.” She lightly smacked the cat’s knee. “I want to enjoy the peace before the storm so can we drop the lesson for now and just enjoy the ride?” She made her point by gesturing to the rolling hills beyond the windows, the land vibrant with color as the bright sun shone down on the many patches of flowers and copses of trees. 

It took Catty a moment to settle, but when she finally did her feline gaze still shone with humor. “Fine,” She rolled her eyes, “but, like, you need to brush up on that stuff before you start work you know.”

“Aye aye!” Reed chirped, giving a sarcastic salute that had both women giggling before Reed turned to look over her shoulder through the window behind them, silly mannerism gone and smile turning wistful. “Though, I have to say, it’s amazing how much this place has changed since Mt. Ebott opened.”

“Oh, that’s right! You used to live here right?”

“Yeah,” Reed hummed, “A long time ago. It used to be a lot of forest, swampland, and cities full of old buildings. There was always road construction that never seemed to fill in the potholes. There’s also that huge river ya’ll have now. It was pretty back then too, but a lot of people were warned not to swim in certain areas. It wasn’t out of the norm for a corpse to show up every once in a while, or to find a bunch of floating trash, not to mention dumped pollution. It was doubly so near the main city. We had a lot of murder investigations that started at the shore.” She shrugged when she heard her companion gasp next to her, “That’s just how it is. I mean, it wasn’t too bad back then, but compared to this? I’m glad the land was given to monsters. It looks so much better, and just feels so clean.”

“I’m not lying either”, she thought as she watched the world go by. The sky was clear, and the air fresh. She could tell from even within the closed cab of their tiny train transport. The grasslands rolled and bucked gently as verdant emerald leaves swayed to the wind. Flowers stood proudly displaying a rainbow of colors for fat buzzing bees. The river in question that she had mentioned shimmered like a liquid snake made of ever shifting diamond powder, the waters a healthy blue. Various bird species flew happily in the sky, or skirted the water in search of fish. She had to hold back a happy gasp as a grouping of wild horses meandered its way to the water, a sight she knew was more than rare in the modern world.

There were no roads, no boats, or giant signs boasting some inane advertisement, or vague accusatory religious text. The skyline was free of buildings, moldering or new. Even the tracks they were on, while cleared of roots and plants, held no trash or other harmful debris. The only spark of civilization that she could see, for the time being, other than their train, had been a few giant domes made of glass, shining golden beneath the late morning light, filled with even more flora. “So they use greenhouses.” Reed thought to herself, appreciating how mindful the Monster race seemed to be of the ecosystem around them, even if they had completely changed where the wetlands and forests resided. There was nothing for it, considering the massive clean up they had to do when the reactors blew, and the mass exodus of humans had caused a good deal of its own devastation in its wake. 

Reed continued to watch the world outside of the windows for a few more minutes, appreciating the changes made to one of her old homes. Even when they had seen a few well worn dirt roads, and a smattering of villages in the distance with signs to large swaths of farmland, it did not deter from the natural beauty of the land. It was as if monsters had healed the scars left behind by the ignorance of industry and the ego of unchecked capitalism. Sure, humans were gaining ground on how not to be complete parasites on their shared planet, but it was slow. It was hard not to commend the Monster Country for the major advancements they had quickly made into clean energy, and so called ‘green’ living. 

Renewable energy, travel paths that didn’t cause horrible erosion, a first world country that didn’t rely heavily on fossil fuels, corrosive chemicals, or other smog inducing affairs had been just a dream six years back, yet when Mt. Ebott yawned that dream became a reality. 

Magic and monsters had made it possible. 

It was a wonder how so many hated them. Reed frowned and supposed that ignorance was only bliss for the ignorant. Everyone else suffered for it.

“So, like, we’re gonna be there soon.”

Reed blinked and sat up from where she had started to slouch over the back of the bench, her thoughts coming to a screeching halt. “Huh?”

“You’ve been like, staring out for like, thirty minutes.”

“I what?! Why didn’t you tell me? Geeze Catty, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be rude. Were you trying to talk to me?”

The cat shook her head, her smile soft. “No. You just looked so deep in your head I didn’t like want to interrupt. You looked, like, totally peaceful, happy, and junk.”

“Yeah well, I’m here with you so why wouldn’t I be? You’re the best liaison ever,” Reed paused, her smile turning to a sly grin as she caught Catty’s interest, the monster starting to blush ever so slightly at the praise, “One could even say that you’re the cat’s meow.” She waggled her brows.

There was a moment of silence between the two as the human’s grin continued to grow whilst the monster’s smile fell to an unamused line.

“Like, seriously?”

Reed broke down into a fit of cackles, clutching her stomach. 

“That’s like so racist.”

“But,” She wheezed, trying to get enough breath to speak, “Is it though? You’re not actually a cat.”

The feline like monster tilted her head in thought at that, an ear twitching as she did so. “I…”

“You?”

“I don’t know?”

“Are you asking if you don’t know or do you not actually know?”

Once again they were silent for a smattering of moments before the two women broke down into laughter once again. 

“O.M.G. Reed,” Her liaison giggled through her paws, “Like, how dare you?”

“Pretty easily actually.”

“You’re like, so terrible.”

“I know right?”

Catty’s ears wiggled as she titled her head, “You need better jokes. I’ve totally heard that one so many times.” She stated flicking her claws through her well quaffed hair, light dancing over the blacks, purples, and blues.

Reed would never mention it out loud, but she had secretly envied the feline’s impeccable taste in hair care for most of their relationship. She had no idea how to not only get color that deep, but to stay that way without fading. She could only lament her own lack of magic. Magic or not, she could still admire its affects and varied applications. She would have gushed about it, if to keep the conversation going, but the last time Reed had mentioned anything to do with magic aesthetics, cosmetics, or both, the topic would inevitably devolve into a long rant about a certain robotic celebrity, so she kept it to herself.

She was then left floundering on what else to say. She could bring up Catty’s mated wife and ask about how their shop was going, but then that proposed the same issue as with the celebrity. Catty was a wonderful conversationalist, and could keep the tempo going, however there were some topics that she would wax on about, repeating things over and over again for hours. Reed thought herself a person with average patience, but if she wanted to stay sane throughout the process of paperwork and dealing with throngs of people she would need Catty to stay on task. Herself as well. She knew she could be just as charismatic, but a well trained smile on the outside didn’t cure the exhaustion on the inside when dealing with people. 

Her already limited physical and mental resources would need the buffer that her liaison could give her, even without anxiety and it’s constant want to nip at the woman’s heels. At least she had practice, but it was better safe than sorry. If she became too overwhelmed, neither of them would enjoy the painful repercussions. Reed would ask her at a later time when they weren’t about to dive deep into the frustration that was citizenship paperwork Hell. Maybe even one day soon she could meet Bratty for herself, perhaps buy a new set of cloths considering her own wardrobe was severely lacking. “Once everything’s settled, I’ll try.” She silently promised.

Until then, what in the world was she going to talk about? She certainly didn’t want to go back to her citizenship lessons, especially since Catty would just continue to give her flack for forgetting the monarchs names. It’s not like she would ever need to use them outside of general conversation. She wanted to huff but as her gaze roamed back to the windows adjacent to the pair she found herself saved as off in the distance the skyline began to change. 

Reed felt an electric sort of excitement buzz through her and settle into her stomach as the first peaks of buildings began to rise, as though gliding through the Earth’s crust in an elegant bid to touch the sky. 

“Holy shit! I gotta see this. Gimme a sec.” 

The feline beside her giggled as her human companion scrambled for the small door at the end of the compartment, amused at the almost childish glee in the woman. She swiftly reached out to catch the envelope that had slid from Reed’s lap, the thing completely forgotten in the excitement. 

Reed ripped open the wooden door that was settled into the middle of the back panel of the train, the door sliding to the side easily and only slightly bouncing back once it hit the end of its hidden rail. The wind rushed into the cabin, buffeting the human woman’s cloths and face, ruining her hairstyle as silken locks flailed wildly. She was definitely going to have tangles in it, but she couldn’t be bothered to care, let alone notice that her previously well kept appearance was utterly destroyed. Her cheeks began to turn pink with the sudden pressure and temperature difference. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a youthful excitement. Her breath left her in puffs of pleased shock. Her hands found the golden guard rail for the tiny deck area, fingers wrapping around the metal tightly as she leaned forward.

The train began to slow slightly as the tracks looped into a gentle arc, the vehicle turning to a perfect direction for its riders to have the best view of the approaching capital of Monster Country. 

There were so many colors, all refracted via bright light as the sun made it’s slow ascent in the sky. Buildings ranged from being tall and slender, to squat and bold. On the outskirts there were homes of various makes. Some had domed roofs, others triangular, a few had none at all, some simply had frosted glass boxes, “ice maybe?” Every one of them had a unique style to suit the owners. Closer in the buildings became larger, businesses, civil centers, and so on. Reed could only guess, but they too ranged in various ways. One even looked like nothing more than a giant gemstone with jagged outcroppings for patios, different parts of it seeming to glow from the inside, even in the day. Another building had been made entirely of living wood, its base gracefully curving up ward with circular windows, thick leaves, and ropes of massive flowered vines that twisted tastefully acting rails for various sets of stairs and bridges. One building looked as though it was merely a herculean sized fish bowl, the waters a clear sapphire blue with twisting ribbons of emerald light within its swaying depths, highlighting the shadows of what looked to be more buildings within. There were other shadows in the water that could be anything from tall crops of kelp, to some sort of underwater tree. 

There were so many different types of buildings that Reed couldn’t even guess what they were for, but she knew she would enjoy every moment finding out. However, even with how wild and avant-garde those places where, there were a great many that were still conventional to what she was used to. Square, multi-leveled, or single leveled, she noted schools, hospitals, office buildings, and more, however, they had been mixed in with the unconventional in such a way that it only added to the wild aesthetics of the capital city. 

Even further in, towards the center, seven skyscrapers loomed high to take a bite out of the clouds, their glass sides gleaming proudly, but as the train continued closer, Reed nearly laughed when she noticed that the skyscrapers, some twisting around like a corkscrew, all connected to a center building like some sort of crystalline castle battlements. She could only barely make out a white stone building with deep purple and gold accents within the arms of the ‘battlements’, but couldn’t get too good of a look as the outer buildings swallowed the inner upon the train’s approach. 

It was her first glimpse at the city, and it was so breath taking.

Reed knew that what she had seen was only a small part of New Home, but that made it all the better in her opinion. The city itself seemed as though a group of differently minded artists had thrown their ideas onto a canvas, then had an architect try to make sense of them. It worked out beautifully. To her, that city, that country, was more than just a work of art that had come to life, but if she where to see it on a canvas, and asked how it spoke to her, she would admit that it said something so very poignant. It was a single, simple idea that resonated deeply within her soul. 

“Freedom” The word was lost to the wind, passing as a whisper through soft lips parted in wonder. It was something that the woman hadn’t known in so long that Reed had thought she had forgotten how it felt. 

It was freedom.

The freedom to take back her future.

The freedom to live beyond the struggle of just existing.

The freedom to possibly live without pain.

The freedom to heal.

The freedom to have many opportunities.

It was the freedom for a new beginning, a rebirth.

Maybe “New Home” wasn’t such a terrible name after all. 

“This is awesome!” Reed called back to her smiling travel companion, her own wide and bright as the train finally began to close in on the large city station. 

Yes, she couldn’t help but feel that everything was, indeed, awesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I'm back y'all!  
> I'm sorry it took me so long but I am finally back on track.  
> Now before I get too derailed I wanted to give a shoutout and a very large thank you to these lovely dears:
> 
> QueenExtoke  
> Mikrebyle  
> wolfpup177  
> Romancelover38  
> BlueBun27  
> DreamSoftly  
> Yamilian  
> Tikimillie
> 
> THANK YOU for your wonderful and kind comments on my last update! I very much appreciated them! They warmed my heart and helped me through my issues. I won't lie, they were also a great kick in the ass to motivate me back into this. I even have some new plans for the reader and hope you enjoy them. 
> 
> I also promise we will finally get to meet our first skelebae next chapter. It's already half done. 
> 
> Thanks again. <3
> 
> Stay wonderful and stay safe. 
> 
> (Note in a note: If I make any mistakes in my writing, please feel free let me know if it bothers you. I don't have a beta reader and am often as thick as a red wood trunk so I tend to miss things. Danke' muchly!)


	5. Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paper work sucks, high heels suck, skeletons....
> 
> Well that depends on the context.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll! Now finally we start to get into the plot. Just the toes for now. Gotta acclimate first.

Six hours previously;

“This is awesome!” Reed called back to her smiling travel companion, her own wide and bright as the train finally began to close in on the large city station. 

Yes, she couldn’t help but feel that everything was, indeed, awesome. 

Current Time;

“Everything is awful.”

Reed gave a baleful glare to the still impeccable well put together cat in front of her as they walked down one of the main commerce streets at a slow pace. Well, Catty walked, the newly dubbed ‘Professor of Human Social Dynamics and Culture’ merely trudged as though she were walking through thick mud. She blew a wayward strand from her face, feeling for all the world like a wrung out used rag left out in the sun to dry still dirty. Her once pressed dark gray suit was wrinkled to the point that she wondered if anything would get the creases out. Her shiny new high heels had a layer of brown road dust, and boasted various scuff marks. It wasn’t as though she cared too much about the shoe’s damage however, considering she had made a vow to herself after the first thirty minutes of walking to chuck the stars damned things into the nearest fire the first chance she got. If she couldn’t find one, she would make one using her own pride as tinder if she had to. 

Her feet felt like she had stepped into a vat filled with a mixture of battery acid and hindsight.

It was hot, humid, and she seemed to be the only one affected. Beside the pair monsters, and a few humans, went about their day in an animated fashion. All seemed to have smiles on their faces. Friends waved to one another and shouted greetings. Stall owners sat beneath brightly colored tent roofs calling out their wares to the bustling crowd. Children pranced about between a moving forest of legs, begging their parents for sweets, or a new toy, giggling for some reason the adults didn’t know, but found amusing none the less. The place was full of the scents of warmed earth, savory simmering foods, baked sweet treats, and the delicate scent of flowers. There were so many damn flowers, ranging from lining the cobble stone road in small rainbow patches, to hanging from different gated bannisters off small porches just above the heads of the crowd. Trees stood between buildings and in the middle of the side walk, some as tall as ten feet, and others as short as the squat bushes that every shop felt the need to have below their windows. Vines crawled over brick, cement, and wooden walls, connecting the buildings by hanging in between the small alleyway spaces like natural curtains. 

If Reed hadn’t felt like death would be a mercy in her sweaty, painful, and heat exhausted state, the woman would have found the atmosphere quaint, calming even, however, all she could feel was frustrated agitation. She was tired, something she was used to and planned for often, but it was made so much worse. Her feet were on fire, a fault of her own for picking out high heels like an utter idiot when she knew that vehicles weren’t as prevalent inside the walls, but even that wasn’t her main concern. If anything, her pinched toes and aching arches helped to ground her to her surroundings. Even the mild tension headache that pulsed at her temples wasn’t what truly affected her. 

It was the crawling sensation of a familiar and chronic dull pain that had steadily began to grow like a sluggish cancer, blooming ever so slowly from between her shoulder blades and in her chest. It would rob her of breath, feed her anxiety, while chipping away at her mental walls. It caused nausea, and her muscles to twitch erratically without her consent. It were as though a vice made of frozen steel circled her rib cage to squeeze with no remorse, making her feel both too hot and too cold. Spots would dance in her vision every so often, and sounds would dull at random, like a shifting ball of cotton had stuck in her ears. Reed could only silently whine in trepidation of what would probably come if something weren’t done about her predicament, and soon. She just needed a bit of rest. They were only the beginning signs, and if she was quick, the worst case scenario could possibly be avoided. If not, all control of herself would be lost. Such was her lot in life, but she knew how to handle it. She had done so for years, most of them without proper medical or psychiatric aid. 

A bitter grin threatened to pull at her lips as a long suppressed quiet fury stirred in the depths of her soul. Her sorry state of affairs couldn’t have been blamed on karma, nor purely on her own faults, even while she had many. No, her current issues, the ones she would never be fully cured of, was the work of something else, someone else. People. Egocentric negligence and manipulative avarice laden arrogance, had taken advantage of her many times leaving the once foolishly naïve girl permanently changed and mentally disfigured. So many years prior she had been trusting far too many times, and so her life had been changed forever, outlook made darker, but from it she learned the way of the world. She learned how to keep herself protected, how to protect others, and how to work around her limitations as much as viable. She learned the necessity of self control, forward planning, and having an open mind when it came to attention to detail. She learned how hard it could be not to blame herself for every mistake, and to force herself to keep moving forward, with or without a solid reason. They were lessons learned, but not always remembered. She still had a great deal of work to do.

She was broken, but not beaten, and certainly not dead.

Yet..

“Best not to go down that rabbit hole dumbass.” Reed scolded herself, her gaze raising to the smiling liaison that had stopped to wait patiently for her. Catty and everyone else deserved better of her than that angst bloated bullshit. That’s why she had worked so hard to get there. She had options again. She had doors opened to her that had been previously welded shut by poverty and circumstance. Reed forced herself to stand up straight from her slightly slouched position, a mischievous smirk planted firmly on her lips, and her steps no longer a pitiful hobble. “Fuck it,” she thought, “not today body. We’ve got shit to do.” With head held high, and her considerably heavier manila folder pressed to her chest, Reed did what she did best. She faked it to make it. 

Thus the woman picked up her pace towards the cat monster only to suddenly drape her tired body over the other woman with an over exaggerated groan. “Catty why?” She simpered up at the other, forcing her lip to wobble, “So. Much. Walking. Isn’t there a tram or something?”

“Like seriously?” Catty effortlessly held the human up, chuckling at her antics as Reed practically rag dolled in her arms. 

“My feet hurt.” Reed dragged out the last word, kicking up a foot to point at it as though making the world’s most obvious point. “and it’s too hot. We’ve been at this for hours! Imma’ die. Catty!” She shook the feline’s sleeve, voice pitched higher in false panic, “Catty! Imma die! Help me, I need..” She trailed off, trying not to smile.

Catty just stared down at her, her own smile knowing, and trying not to giggle at the gaggle of monsters and human’s gawking at Reed’s ridiculous display. “You like, need?” She prompted.

“Coffee and chocolate! Catty! Save me! I’m a wilting daisy in need of sustenance!” Not to mention a break away from so many people. The press of the crowd and its bustling din was getting to her.

Catty, in all her wisdom, rolled her eyes with a huff, “Like, fine. I’ll buy you some kay?”

“Nope!” That had Reed dropping her act instantly, planting her feet and stepping out of Catty’s arms to whirl on her with a firm but happy gleam in her eyes. “I’m paying for us both!”

Catty tittered and waved a paw, “But this is, like, your first day! I thought you were gonna’ die, huh?”

“Don’t care. I’m using my own cash to buy us that sweet, sweet caffeinated ambrosia.” Reed crossed her arms. “You can’t talk me out of it.”

That had the feline raise a brow, whiskers twitching mischievously, “Okay, but like, what if I get there first? You don’t know the way yet.”

“Nice try but,” Reed suddenly spluttered, words dying as her liaison smoothly strode through the crowd past her, and whirled to try to catch up to the taller woman, “Hey! Don’t you dare! Catty! No!”

How was she so fast? Reed huffed, gritting her teeth as pain flared angrily at her quick movements. Ignoring it for the most part she attempted to bob and weave after her liaison just a few paces in front of her. She snorted lightly as Catty’s giggles floated back to her, and pressed on, determined to not let her pay for anything. It was her treat damn it. Catty knew that Reed wasn’t a fan of people paying for anything on her behalf. It tended to grate on her nerves, but the liaison didn’t care. Reed knew she just wanted to be a good friend to her, but she could be just as stubborn as that ornery purple pussy.

It didn’t take too log for the duo to reach their destination. Reed burst through the crowd into a far more clear street to be met with the sight of Catty’s tail disappearing behind a shaded glass door with a sassy flick. “Oh no you don’t.” She didn’t even bother to stop to take a gander at what must have been obviously a café’ in front of her, so focused on getting to the counter or at very least a line of patrons before Catty could order. She sprinted across the street for the door, nearly tripping over a dislodged cobblestone in the process, and wrapped her fingers around the door’s gently sloped silver handle to yank it open to rush inside.

Really, she should have seen it coming. The woman should have known better considering that it was nearing the fabled second lunch rush that always seemed to happen just a half hour before the dinner rush, so the café’ was likely busy. She should have taken a moment to stop at the door to look around her, but in her defense, she was quite exhausted and near to her limit, only able to process a few things at a time. That wouldn’t stop her from berating herself later from the sheer embarrassment of something that could have easily been avoided. 

The welcoming brush of cool coffee scented air was all that the woman had time to register before the world was tipped on its axis, her face meeting some sort of hard barrier in a bid to challenge physics only to fail miserably in the quest to occupy the same space. One moment she was on her feet, and the next her rear had become well acquainted with how well tile could bruise flesh. Reed found herself splayed on the floor, legs at an awkward angle, and with a wonderful view of the underside of lace draped glass topped tables. It was a wonder that she hadn’t hit her head, the human having slammed her arms back on instinct to diffuse the force. It took a moment for her to blink back the shock of falling flat on her back to turn her head, noting a paper coffee cup rolling to a stop just before her nose. “What the shit?” she stated, allotting a few more grumbled curses at the ache making itself more noticeable each moment passed. She began to draw in her legs in order to stand back up before a bolt of realization caused a pit to form in her stomach, making her freeze halfway up.

The coffee cup was empty, save for a few drops, steam still streaming from it’s interior. 

Dread welled within her gut, causing her to swallow as her gaze landed on a pair of shoes, shone to a mirror finish, the right splattered with the beverage that had most likely been housed within the empty cup. From her awkwardly crouched position her eyes traveled up, from shoes, to tailored black suit pants, then an equally well tailored suit jacket, and lastly to a very prominent brown stain marring a once perfectly pressed white button down shirt, and slender bright orange silk tie. “Oh fuck me.” She thought, swallowing hard, “That looks expensive.” Then another thought hit her, the coffee had been hot. In a panic she had shot up to stand fully, not noticing the gloved hand that had been held out to her in an offer to help.

I’m so sorry! Are you alright! Do you have any burns…”Her voice trailed off as she had finally gotten a full look at the person she had run into, spilling their coffee and making an ass out of herself in the process. “Oh.”

He was a skeleton. A very tall skeleton.

Well, at least there were no worries about third degree burns, so that was a plus.

“Human! Are you alright?”, He asked, socket ridges drawn together in a worried line, his free hand reaching to steady her in case she would fall again, hovering just a few inches from Reed’s arm. 

“Me?” She raised her brows, bemused, “I’m not the one that got a scalding shower! What about you? Are you okay?” 

The skeleton monster straightened, his teeth lifting into a vibrant proud smile, “Why of course! I am a skeleton after all, and a remarkable one at that! We can handle high temperatures as we do not have skin so there is no need to worry human!” He laughed, pulling his hand back to rest it on his hip in a pose, his other hand, she noticed, holding a drink tray with another full cup still, thankfully, nestled in it’s holder. If it weren’t for the mortifying situation, Reed would have mulled over just how adorable his laugh had been, sounding very much like a series of “neyh heh heh’s”, and admired how well his voice had carried. It wasn’t so much loud, as it had a quality to it that made it carry easily, let alone a crowded area. 

“Well, that’s honestly a huge relief, but uh,” Reed winced as she pointedly looked over his cloths again, noting how well made they were, pinpointing at a small embroidered signature on the breast pocket. She paled recognizing the “MTT” in graceful looped writing. She bit back a curse. Not only was it a nice suit, but the stars damned thing was a specially tailored one of a kind. She knew because of Catty’s need to gush anytime Mettaton brought out a new line. It wasn’t a simple matter of costing money, even though his threads had to of cost him at least two to three thousand dollars or the G equivalent. 

“Hmm..” The skeleton tilted his head inquisitively at her before his sockets widened in understanding, “Oh!” He gave her another winning smile, and rested a hand on her shoulder, “Do not worry! I only need to change! I have plenty of cloths at home!”

“What? But that’s,” She stuttered, before taking a deep breath to try and calm her flustered state, “That’s an MTT special right? Those can’t just be replaced!”

If his smile could get any brighter, she was sure the skeleton would have blinded every patron in the store by then, his eye sockets seeming to twinkle. How was that possible? Fuck if she knew. The oddities of magic were the last of Reed’s concern. “Oh you know of Mettaton? Human you have wonderful taste! Almost as great as mine!” He boasted, removing his hand from her to place proudly on his chest.

“Thank you but that’s not the point. I’m so sorry about all this! If I had been watching where I was going none of this would have happened! Please, let me make it up to you! I can repay the cost of your suit.” Luckily she could, even if it took up her bonus that she had received for taking the speaker position at the New Home College, but it was worth it. That whole ordeal had been her mistake, and she needed to make it right. “Just give me some time for my accounts to be set up and I’ll send it to you as soon as I can!”

“No need for that miss human!” His smile softened, “what kind of gentle-monster would I be if I, the ‘Remarkable Spade’, made you pay for what was an honest mistake, and since you are new here if my guess is right.”

A small bubble of annoyance began to form in her chest, the woman forcing it down knowing that her ire was probably irrational, “Whether I’m new or not doesn’t matter. This was my fault.”

“You’re forgiven!”

“I insist.” She allowed herself to be annoyed at his stubbornness, crossing her arms over her chest, and words flat.

The skeleton chuckled again, however she couldn’t find it as adorable with how his harmless sun like smile turned ever so slightly sly. “As do I!”

Dammit. She hated when people did that to her. She made the mistake, it was her debt to pay. That should have been the end of it. She needed to right the scales. It was almost a compulsion in a way that if not met would hound her subconscious for who knew how long. Perhaps she could salvage at least part of their strange standoff. She sighed, and shook her head with a small smile. “At the very least, allow me to pay for the drink that was spilled?” Maybe if she could do that she could hide some extra cash in the coffee cup sleeve.

“Hmmm.” The “remarkable Spade’, as he called himself put his hand to his chin in thought, as though ruminating on her offer, something that would have her feeling some relief, if he still didn’t have that infuriatingly knowing smirk on his teeth. 

“Well?” She asked while silently begging for him to agree.

“OH!” He suddenly shouted, causing her to step back in surprise, “WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?” He raised his wrist as though looking at a watch that was not there. “I’M GOING TO BE LATE!” Spade quickly side stepped Reed, while she was still in shock by the sudden ear splitting volume of his voice, his long legs easily allowing him a quick pace for escape. 

Reed wasn’t in shock for too long, spinning around to chase the tall skeleton at the door, thinking, “Oh that dick!”

“Hey!”, she shouted after him, hearing his victorious laughter as he rushed down the sidewalk, “Don’t think you’re getting out of this! I WILL buy you that drink! You can’t get away that easy! Count on it!” 

Stars damn him, and damn his admittedly charming personality, but she had a code damn it! Reed hated feeling like she was in debt, and it only rubbed salt into the wound that she had a sneaking suspicion he had picked up on that, if his terrible acting was any indication, and ran off just to mess with her. She huffed to herself, cocking her hip out as she glared down the walk where he had disappeared into the crowd. 

Unbeknownst to her, Catty had followed them out of the shop to stand in the door way, her giggles making Reed twitch. “So, like,”

“Yeah?” Reed continued to look for the skeleton, frustration evident in her frown as she thought through all the ways she could find him again and make him take the cash. She would even reverse pick pocket if she had too. The capital city wasn’t so big that they would never meet again. She just needed to be patient.

“Did you just, like, threaten to date him?”

Wait, what?

“WHAT!?” The woman spun around to stare wide eyed at her liaison, of whom was laughing so hard she had to hold the door to keep from falling down. Beyond her she could see the crowd of patrons all sporting various expressions, having gone silent through the whole exchange, some ranging from shock, to confusion, but most of all amusement. A few were even snickering failing at hiding behind newspapers, shoulders shaking. To say she was embarrassed was an understatement. What a great first impression she had just made to the residents of her ‘New Home’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legends say that Spade is still running and laughing down the street to this day. 
> 
> Reed: Wait. Could that be called a reverse hustle? 
> 
> Thanks for reading dears! I just hope I got the Papyrus-esque personality down with a bit of a twist. I can think all day about how the characters should or would, act but they tend to have a mind of their own. 
> 
> Lufs <3


	6. Oh the web we weave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reed meets someone new, and delves deeper into awkward despair.
> 
> We get a glimpse at Spade being domestic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this chapter fought me. Hope ya'll like it!

“Why?”

‘Thunk’

“Just,”

‘Thunk’

“Why am I like this?”

Reed continued to whinge as she repeatedly hit her head onto the small two seater table that Catty had sat her at. She barely had time to take in the full scope of her shame before her liaison swooped in, finding them both a seat next to a large picture window before fluttering off somewhere into the crowd of patrons. She had been so excited for the day, often day dreaming about how it would turn out, or trying to mentally prepare herself with practiced speeches, let alone spending far too much on an outfit she was certain she would only wear once if she were lucky. She was supposed to, barring the privacy of the train cabin, hold her head up and act proper. She wanted to impress the people around her to make a good example of not only her race but of her character to those that would have power over her medical care, and her newly acquired job. She had been proud that during her interviews and various government appointments that she hadn’t used one swear word, nor had she gone off on a tangent like she normally would when feeling nervous. Sure she was in pain, and exhausted but that was near the end of what had been a long day. She was almost out of the woods with only her medical review and paperwork left to go. Of course the ill fated woman had to literally slip up and cause a scene in front of a crowd of people.

‘Thunk’

‘Thunk’

‘Pwap’

Reed paused as her forehead’s assault on the tabletop was interrupted by a soft furry paw. She grunted and let her face rest there with a grumbled, “I was having a moment. Let me wallow.” She turned her head to eye the Cat next to her, frowning at the amused grin that graced Catty’s face. Said cat monster merely shook her head plopping a purple and white striped bag in front of the human’s nose before removing her paw. 

“You can’t like, stay like that forever you know.” She stated as she sat down across from Reed, folding her paws over the intricate lace draped table top.

At that Reed straightened her posture to glare at her companion, lips posed into a light pout. “I can, like totally, do anything if I try.”

Catty rolled her eyes and shook her head with a faux put upon expression. “And they call me Catty.”

That did it. Reed’s put upon pout broke with an amused huff. “Dammit why won’t you let me have this? It’s my shame, I can have it if I want.”

“Sometimes you can be so totally childish. Here have this instead. I promise it’ll help.” Catty pushed the bag closer to Reed, the human taking an appreciative sniff as the promise of sugary goodness teased her nose. She quickly opened the paper present and dipped her hand in to retrieve the most beautiful looking cupcake she had ever seen outside of a food magazine. It looked to be primarily chocolate, fluffy, warm, and had been topped with lavender rock candy sprinkles, with a delicate layer of white icing patterned like a complex spider’s web that seemed to shimmer in the light. The paper surrounding its base was just as pleasant looking, following the trend of a periwinkle that faded into a white more simplified web that had been cut into the cup itself. 

Reed could feel the warmth of the treat sink into her fingers, a telling indication that it had come from a fresh batch right out of the oven. As much as she would have liked to appreciate the aesthetics of the craftsmanship put into the confection, she couldn’t hold back from wanting to taste it, her mouth watering. While the cupcake looked like a work of art, the taste was something that Reed would never be able to forget. The crumb was light and flakey, but still substantial. The flavor flooded her palette with the deep richness of chocolate, accented with hints of vanilla and nutmeg. While in many cases the addition of hard candy sprinkles and icing would over power the surprisingly airy cake, in that case it did not. The icing was strangely light as a feather, instead of the normal powder sugar icing that Reed was used to, tasting like a creamy whipped sort often used in high end expensive bakeries. The rock sugar held even more hints of nutmeg but added to it, here and there, she tasted cinnamon, and something distinctly non-licorice. 

She hummed in satisfaction as she chewed, the sound catching in her throat once she swallowed. Magic food was certainly tasty, but Reed hadn’t been prepared for it to disappear in the middle of the act of swallowing causing her to instinctually swallow a second time. She had heard about the phenomenon, but that hadn’t stopped her from being taken of guard by the odd sensation. “Wow. This is really…” She paused as she felt something strange happen to her body. A warmth had blossomed in her chest slowly smoothing throughout her limbs causing her taught muscles to relax and loosen on contact. She couldn’t help the long sigh that escaped her as she felt her pain subside ever so slowly, and her energy begin to return before the warmth petered out. She eyed the cupcake for another moment before tucking into it with hearty appreciation. With each bite a little more of her aches and pains subsided, and the more awake she felt. Before she knew it, the cupcake was gone, and her eyes were closed as she focused on the last of the magic waning away, wanting to savor the deliciously sweet experience.

“Feeling better?”

Reed opened her eyes to see Catty giving her a smug grin, and gave her a grateful one of her own. “Much.” She lifted her arms to stretch, feeling as though she had awoken from the best nap that she had in years. “Damn I could get addicted to that. That was the best thing I’ve had in a long time. Monster food is amazing. Thank you.” 

“Why you’re very welcome deary. Always good to see a happy customer.” Reed jerked in her seat, whipping her head around to see who had spoken, the words suffused with a silken tone an underlying impish lilt to it. Beside the pair, standing at their tableside with a loaded tray in hand stood the most attractive arachnid that Reed had ever seen. The spider woman was certainly a sight, her lithe body draped in an ebony and violet flapper style dress, the beaded fringe catching the light from the sun and fracturing it into tiny flecks of color. The dress matched an equally elegant looking head band that hugged her brow just over the top pair of her six dark jewel like eyes, the left side adorned with a jet beaded spider that had been sewn to look as though it where holding up a small batch of fanned out white and black feathers whilst perched on an embroidered ambiguous flower. The head piece held down a bob of raven hair, not one strand out of place, and the whole having a healthy sheen. She had a skin tone of purple that was a few shades darker than the color on the bag that Catty had set down, her whole ensemble complimenting it. Reed couldn’t help but appreciate the lady’s style and attention to detail, from the dark nail polish on the slender fingers of all six of her delicate looking hands, to the gem studded straps of the dance sandals fitted to a pair of dainty feet. 

The lady seemed to give off waves of the kind of charisma and self esteem that was won by hard work, and a sharp cunning intellect, something that was seen via the calculated glint of her gaze and the wicked tilt of her fanged smile. It was at that, Reed made the assumption that the newcomer must have been a manager or some other sort of boss of the establishment. She had a gut feeling that even if the spider lady was slender and most likely only five foot 3, she wasn’t one to pick a fight with. Anyone would not only lose, but be lucky to get out of it with all of their limbs attached.

Reed made a mental note of to not, “fuck with this one.”, and plastered on a polite smile, forcing the tension out of her shoulders. “I have to admit, this was delicious. As my first taste of monster food, I’m glad it was here. My compliments to the baker.”

The well dressed spider woman chuckled lightly, a hand to her lips with a ‘fu fu fu’, “Why thank you deary. If you like that then I’m sure you’ll love the drinks too.” She promptly placed two capped cups onto the table from the tray she had been holding, Catty immediately pulling one to herself to take a long drink. “I can assume that you’re new here?”

Reed nodded, “Yes I am. I just arrived over the border this morning.”

The spider placed a pair of her hands together in front of her, her smile growing, “How lovely! Since it’s your first day let me make your acquaintance. I’m Charlotte”, She waved to the café’ around her, “and this is my parlor. It’s always lovely to get new customers, especially a sheba.” She winked, leaning a hip onto the side of the table. “So we’ll see you here again?”

“Did, did she just flirt at me? Did the owner just flirt with me?” Reed thought, fighting off a befuddled blink, her polite smile firmly in place. “Well, if that cupcake was anything to go by, I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of me as a regular customer.”

Charlotte chuckled again, her gaze ducking down before meeting Reed’s eyes, her voice a velvet purr, as she bent forward at a slight angle a finger pointed to her chest, “I look forward to it deary. It will be berries to have another regular who has a sense for fashion.” 

“Thank you?” Reed asked, unsure of what exactly Charlotte had been alluding to before she looked down to where the café’ owner had pointed, her face falling and polite demeanor shattering, “Are you fucking kidding me!” Her tone devolved into an exasperated exclamation, lips pulled into a scowl and all over expression just ‘done’ with everything, hands flying to the lapels of her suit jacket. 

Not only had she bumped into a stranger, spilled coffee on is expensive suit, and made an ass out of herself, she had apparently flashed the poor soul with an eye socket full of her northern assets. It just had to be on the day that she decided to wear what she fondly dubbed ‘secret lingerie.’ She had never intended for any one to see it. She had just wanted to wear something she thought was sexy as a way to boost her self esteem for the trials ahead. The piece of supportive clothing was of an elegant midnight satin that only barely covered any sort of decency, the demi style cups pushing her breasts up into a pair of luscious plump mounds. Opaque sable roses chased the edge of the very low cup line to a pair of thin straps that roped from her shoulders back to the center of her chest as a subtle nod towards something far more lewd than simple supportive wear. As if to add insult to injury, her new necklace fell into the valley of her breasts, the tip of the silver heart kissing the top of the tiny ring that held the straps and acted as the middle brace between the cups. The whole of the view was framed by the white dress shirt she wore, its tiny pearl buttons missing and lost to the mercy of the café’ floor. “No wonder he left in such a damn hurry.” The freshly mortified woman groaned, one hand going to her face, the other attempting to pull her shirt closed. 

She didn’t appreciate the laughter of the others at the table, obviously amused at her expense, earning them a glower from between her fingers. Catty merely sipped her drink, eyes shining over the edge of her cup, as Charlotte stood back up to her full height, brushing down any wrinkles. “Forgive me deary, I just couldn’t resist.”

Reed sighed, lowering her hand and shook her head, “I guess I can’t blame you. It’ll probably be hilarious later when this is a distant memory.” She pulled at her poor abused shirt in an attempt to keep it closed, “though this is going to be a pain in the butt. I still have more appointments to get to and this isn’t exactly ideal.”

“Oh, well if a few buttons is all, I could take care of that for you.”

Reed’s brows lifted, a spark of hope blooming, “Really?”

Charlotte’s smile turned up at the edges into a grin, her head tilting, “For a price.”

“And that would be?” She eyed the spider warily. 

“That you’ll provide your patronage to my lovely little establishment again!” Charlotte’s smile brightened as she folded a set of arms over her empty tray, the hands of another set resting on her hips. 

Reed huffed a breathless laugh, “Sure thing. I promise to come by the next time I’m around these parts, after all, that cupcake made my day. I was near the end of my rope but apparently magic food has restorative properties. The taste alone made me feel so much better.”

Charlotte’s smile only grew as her newest customer complimented her baked goods, “Wonderful. I’ll be sure to give you my special again, for an upcharge of course. Just know that not all monster food heals. It has to be made special and not all monsters have healing magic.” Reed nodded. It made sense considering the strict laws regarding healing items such as condensed monster candy and the like.

“Thank you for that.”

“Oh, don’t thank me deary,” Charlotte pointed to Catty, “Thank her. She made the request and paid for it.”

Reed’s smile faltered, “Wait, she what?” The woman turned to her liaison and hissed, “That’s not fair! I was supposed to pay. You snuck off while I was distracted!”

Catty tittered into her paw as she set her cup down, a tiny dollop of foam clinging to the fur on her lips. “Like, too bad. You snooze you lose.”

“Catty no!”

“Catty yes!”

_Later that same day in an upscale set of apartments in another part of the city:_

Jack groaned tiredly as he stepped from the frigid unforgiving depths of the void, running thick kid gloved phalanges over his skull, tilting his wide band fedora, before loosening his azure silk necktie. It had been a full day where he was required to port all over the city on top of the usual gate checks and transport inspections. It weren’t as though the old bag of bones was one of the guard, no, he just did various side jobs that had a tendency to blur the lines a little. That day he had to move more contraband than normal. If they weren’t careful Grillby would need to move the last month’s haul to the new warehouse ahead of schedule before they could even settle on a date to move product to the integrated royal labs. On top of that they had begun to run low on their bread and butter, the demand growing faster than the previous year’s estimates. The cooks could barely keep up. What was more, the counsel had he and his brother take up more responsibility in investigating ‘persons of interest’, widening the scope of their supposed jurisdiction and territory. He counted his lucky stars that they hadn’t been needed for any wet work or screw tightening in a while. There were just too many pieces of pie among various other pies, to swallow. Jack was close to feeling like his eyes were bigger than his stomach, not that he had either of those. 

While he was far from starved of work to do, the skeleton could certainly go for some grub, a thought further emphasized with a sniff as he caught a whiff of garlic in the air when he opened the door to the ritzy apartment he and his brother shared. Even with the hectic day he had, he could always count on his brother to make it better, a lazy smile spreading over his features, tension starting to bleed from his weary bones. “Hey Paps.” He called out, his voice a tired baritone that broke across the sounds of sizzling and clanking pans from the kitchen. 

“Welcome Home Brother!” He heard Papyrus, or Spade as was the name on his M.C.I.D, called back, “Dinner Will Be Ready Soon! Come To The Kitchen But Wipe Your Shoes First!”

Jack chuckled and did as he was told, wiping his shiny dress shoes on the bright green welcome mat before stepping into the apartment fully and closing the door behind him, the lock giving a satisfying clunk when his magic turned it. He let out a long breath as he placed his hat on the rack beside the front door, and shrugged off his suit jacket, throwing it over his arm. He grumbled when he felt the phone in one of the pockets begin to buzz, and resolved to pretend that he hadn’t noticed it when he made his way through the swanky digs of his living room. His shoes clacked over the shining hard wood spruce flooring, towards the kitchen, the skeleton tossing his suit jacket haphazardly over the back of a large leather easy chair on the way. His bones itched for a gasper or a fat cigar but he would have to wait until dinner was over. It was their time together where nothing was allowed to bother their brotherly bonding. Even their bosses knew better than to interrupt unless it was an emergency. He worked hard, he could afford some time after for a cigar and maybe toss back a jorum of skee. Yeah, that sounded nice. 

Jack’s smile stretched wider when he rounded the corner to enter into the large kitchen his brother was working in, the air alight with the savory scent of chicken, pasta, and a plethora of herbs. Papyrus was bopping along, humming along with a tune that played from a small radio on a counter. It was a sight to see, that made Sans battered soul swell with a contented warmth. He sat at the kitchen table, knowing that they had a perfectly good dining area that was home to a royal eight seater with room for more if they ever decided to host a party, but the smaller kitchen set was perfect for just him and his brother. The scene was more comfortable for it, and homey. The white marble counters were full of kitchen gadgets and appliances that had been dinged and scratched from years of use. The wall just behind the stove was off color, having taken on steam, cooking oils, and other food related detritus over time, darkening the sky blue paint by a few shades with near artistic splotches. The fridge was one they had been able to save from their old home, the door sporting a black smudge that just couldn’t be buffed out no matter what, and several dents, all with a story of their own. Well loved, pots, ladles, and pans hung from an expensive wood and wire rack that dangled from copper coated chains that had been braced into the ceiling. The ocher stained cabinets still retained their shine, but it was obvious by small chips in their doors that a certain skeleton didn’t always know his own strength when he was cooking. There was even a chalk board inset into one of the wine cabinets, edged in bronze, with tiny hand painted wine bottles at its corners and thin vines tangling around the frame. San’s always got a kick out of writing a pun on the board for his brother to find when he woke up in the morning. At that time there was a recipe for garlic knots scrawled over the slate in iconic papyrus font. 

Jack didn’t swoon over how glamorous their digs were, feeling the place too stiff for his tastes. While Papyrus had added touches here and there to try to make the large apartment feel more lived in, there just seemed to be no shaking how new or how expensive the furniture felt, nor how shiny every bolt and door knob was. The pair hadn’t been in the place for more than six months after the house fire had taken their house, but they just hadn’t had enough time to really wear it in. Only the kitchen and Papyrus’s room held any sort of familial warmth to them. San’s room didn’t count as it was simply a tragic mess, rather than being amiably cluttered, as was how he liked it. Home was where his mess was, and of course, his family. 

“How Was Your Day Brother?” Papyrus asked from over his shoulder as he wiped sauce from his hand onto the white cook’s apron he wore, the other occupied with stirring something in a large saucepan with a wooden spoon. 

“Same as usual.” Sans shrugged, pulling his gloves off to lay on the table beside a glass of water that had been waiting for him. “Always somethin’ ta’ do.” 

Papyrus huffed, and turned back to the sauce he had been lovingly bringing together, dumping a large amount of grilled chicken chunks into the concoction from a glass bowl. “Nyeh. Well, I Hope You Haven’t Been Slacking Off. I Wasn’t Able To Greet You For Coffee Today To Check Up On You. The Last Time You Were Asleep On The Boss’s Desk.”

“Wha?” Sans brought a hand to his chest, feigning a hurt expression, “Why I would never bro! I may be lazy but I ain’t no dew dropper, besides,” He added with a grin noting his younger brother pause, shooting him a warning glare, “With a cool brother like you, lollygagging would be impastable.” 

“NYEH!” Sans chuckled heartily as Papyrus flung his hands into the air in dramatic complaint, sauce splattering onto the ceiling. “SANS! Don’t Ruin Our Dinner With Your Terrible Word Play!” He whipped around to give his older brother the stink eye, the attempt at intimidation ruined as a wet splat cut across the sounds of bubbling pots and his brother’s laughter, of which cut off. 

Seconds stretched out as both brothers remained quiet, one trying his best to contain his glee, the other taking a moment to process the thick wet heat that was slowly making its way from the top of his skull to down the side of his nasal passage. It was as though time had stopped, only to start again as a chunk from the sauce fell from Papyrus’s chin and into the second water cup on the table, liquid splashing onto the wood.

Papyrus’s face fell into a deadpan as he stared at the water glass like it had insulted his cooking. Sans lost it, busting into loud bone rattling guffaws, nearly toppling head over tea kettle when his chair tipped back too far. The tall chef turned to his brother, a look on his face that one would see on a disappointed parent. “Sans.”

The wheezing skeleton looked up, “Y-yeah bro?” His smile tilted, “What’s up?” He asked, pointing to the leftover sauce on the ceiling.

“SANS!”

“That’s my name.” He winked, hooking his thumbs into his suspenders, finally getting his laughter under control.

“NYEH!”

The shorter of the pair shrugged.

“I’m Serious!” Papyrus stomped his foot, before reaching for a dish towel on the counter to wipe his skull.

His brother’s grin turned shit-eating, “Hi serious, I’m Sans.” That earned him a flying kiss from the dirty dish towel, the semi wet cloth clinging to his face. He chuckled as the cloth fell from his face and into his lap, while his brother tuned back to the food on the stove.

It hadn’t taken too long for their dinner to be ready and placed onto the table. There was a large platter full of chicken and broccoli fettucine alfredo, a bowl filled with a fresh crisp prepared salad, and a pile of fragrant garlic knots, the bread still steaming from the oven. Sans gave a low whistle as his brother set himself in front of his own plate, still wearing his apron. “Looks good bro.”

“Why Of Course! I Made It After All! It’s Full Of All Of My Care And Passion!” The cook of the house smiled, his pride bolstered by his brother’s praise and grabbed both of their plates piling them high with the delicious looking food. Once he set the plates back down on their respective mats, the skeleton immediately began to dig into his noodles with gusto. Sans smiled, happy to see his sibling enjoying himself, and stabbed a fork into his own share. 

The brothers ate in companionable silence, only breaking back into conversation once the food was gone, barring the few leftover rolls of bread and leaves of salad. Sans let out a long satisfied sigh, and melted into his chair, closing his eye sockets. “That was great as always. Your food is the best Paps.”

“You’re Very Welcome Brother!” He heard Papyrus’s chair scrape against the tile floor, the guy most likely moving to start cleaning up the kitchen as was the norm. The room filled with the sounds of running water, and the clinking of ceramics, the sounds creating a soothing lullaby for the stockier sibling. Sans was barely dozing in and out of unconsciousness when his brother’s voice punctured through the comfortable haze of near sleep. “I Met A New Human Today!” 

“Yeah?” Sans took a peek at his brother’s back, the topic of mild interest.

Papyrus nodded, “Why Yes! It Seems That The Freeze On Full Immigration Has Been Lifted.”

“Really?” He raised a brow bone, skeptical and fully awake. It had been half a year since the last time the counsel had approved any new citizens. They had placed a halt on applications due to the random attacks on the gates, not wanting to leave too many security holes open. Of course, that didn’t stop the constant stream of temporary visitors that would enter the nation for the medical programs. The allowance of a small number of terminal patients, or patients of powerful backgrounds had been integral for monsters gaining ground on the national political platform. It was far easier to keep an eye on the patients and their families as they were placed into government housing complexes near the hospital and healing center, only given restricted permissions when it came to travel. “How’d ya find this out?”

Sans could hear the smile in his brother’s voice as he replied, “I Ran Into A New Human During My Usual Run at Charlotte’s Parlor.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes! Quite Literally!” Sans couldn’t hold back an amused snort, “I Even Spilled Your Drink!” Papyrus’s shoulders slumped, “I Apologize That I Could Not Make It To The Office To Deliver Your Coffee. I Had To Run Home To Change As It Messed My Best Suit.”

“S’all Jake bro. So what about this human?” His smile faltered, white eye lights dimming slightly, “They didn’t get sore at ya’h did they? Didn’t throw an ing bing because a monster got in their way?” While New Home toted itself as a peaceful and forward moving city that prided itself on easy integration, he still had seen plenty humans act less than politely towards monsters with either the most entitled or bigoted logic to shore up their actions. It wasn’t the perfect ideal, even if things were far better than when they had first surfaced. It wasn’t a far leap to assume that Sans ‘Jack’ of Roulette Clan had a tilted perspective of the human race. 

Papyrus made an exasperated noise, lifting a soapy hand, a few suds floating off of his phalanges. “No. Not At All.”, His voice brightened, spine straightening, “In Fact She Was Quite A Delight!”

“She?” Sans blinked, “So a Dame eh?”

Papyrus nodded, moving on to rinse the dishes he had cleaned before placing them into the drying rack. “Yes, Quite Obviously So! She Even Had Taste! The Human Fingered My Mettaton Logo And Knew All About His Special Line. Poor Thing Was Shaken And Offered To Pay Off For A New One.”  
Sans balked, “Bushwa! It was just coffee yeah? If she knows about MTT then the bim would know how fat it’s price is. We got the Washua Washers and they can clean anythin’” His voice petered out as he got an inkling, his eye lights brightening. Papyrus had turned just enough to give Sans an expectant smile, “Wait,”

Papyrus’s smile widened.

“The doll don’t know that does she?”

Papyrus’s smile became Cheshire. “If Her Very Aggressive Insistence On Repaying Me For My ‘Ruined”, He turned to Sans fully, making air quotes, “Threads Was Any Indication, Then No.”

Sans burst out laughing, slapping a hand onto the table. His brother was the best. “That’s my bro!” He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye socket, face full of amused brotherly pride. “Tell me ya at least got the debt in writing.”

“No. I Didn’t Feel The Need.”

“What?”

Papyrus shrugged, his grin sly as he leaned back against the sink, his arms crossed over his button down shirt, suspenders, and apron combination. “The Human Practically Chased Me When I Left Charlotte’s. I Don’t Think She’s The Type To Let A Debt Go, Much Like The Fell and Fallow Clans. ”

Confused, Sans tilted his head, “Okay, but even then, a debt is pay, and pay is power. Why didn’t ya’ take advantage of it when ya had the chance?”

“Because, Brother, I Had To Report A New Possible Mark.”

“The dame?”

“She Had An Issued Suppressor. I Got A Good Look When The Buttons Of Her Shirt Popped When She Fell.”

Sans stood up quickly, his expression serious, eye lights shrinking, “Why didn’t ya lead with that!”

Papyrus rolled his eye lights and gave his brother a level stare, “If I Had Said That First, Then You Wouldn’t Have Heard Another Word After. Brother It’s No Secret How Paranoid You Can Be.”

“Yeah but Paps!” Sans waved a hand, voice pitched with a barely audible growl, “Them things are dangerous. Any o’ us in the know understand what those trinkets can do. Ya can’t use yer magic on the wearer. Ya can’t see the Soul, or even use yer gravity magic. No Soul manipulation magic. It blinds us Judges and fucks the Soul Frequency. They could have LV and we wouldn’ even know!”

Papyrus raised a finger calmly, “Yes, Which Is Why Every Holder Is Registered And Tracked In Real Time By The Royal Guard, And The Royal Labs.”

“Sure but..”

Papyrus interrupted him, “If Anything Happens, And The Human Is Enough Of A Dumb Dora To Do Something Worth Looking At Then We Will Be Seeing Them Soon Enough.”

Sans grumbled, but nodded, letting out a long breath to calm himself, “Yeah, yeah. You’re right. I just don’t like knowing that a there could be another unknown threat. There’s good reason them things are rare.” He sat back down with an empty chuckle as his brother nodded taking the few steps to close enough distance to place a supportive hand on one of his broad shoulders. 

“No Need To Worry Brother. The Human Is Registered And Has Given Us Leverage That We Can Use Should They Try Anything, And When All Else Fails”, His words were punctuated by a heavy thunk as Papyrus placed something onto the table from a hidden compartment in his waistband, his tone devoid of any sunny positivity, voice soft and cold, _“We still have options.”_

Sans chuckled as he looked at the snub nose Ener-Tech revolver that had been set in front of him, feeling the weight of his own that was seated in an inter pants holster on his left hip. “When you’re right, You’re right. I gotta’ hand it to ya’ bro, ya know your onions.”

Papyrus shifted into his usual chipper disposition with a loud “Nyeh, heh, heh.”, removing his hand so that he could make his way back to the sink to continue his chore, “But Of Course Brother. I AM The Remarkable Spade After All!” 

It was a few minutes of reflective silence for them as the younger brother finished his clean up, and the older ruminated over the newest information. It was when Papyrus was wiping off the stove that Sans spoke up. “So, her shirt popped open huh?” His brother merely gave a ‘nyeh’ in response. “So, Ya saw the babe’s bubs?” He bit back his laughter when Papyrus began to scrub at the already pristine counters harder than needed, a clementine glow reflecting off of the stone surface, betraying a magical blush. “So.” Sans continued, the edges of his mouth lifting into a wide teasing grin, his eye lights shimmering with mischief, “At the end of the day Ya’ can say that coffee shops bring all the breast pastabilities.”

“SANS!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reed: (internal screaming)  
> Charlotte: (points out her bra)  
> Reed: (external screaming)  
> Spade: (hums show tunes) 
> 
> On an off note I chose Jack's name because it just felt perfect considering all of the meanings.  
> -Jack shit  
> -Don't know Jack  
> -in 1920's lingo it means money  
> -Jacks is a game.  
> And so on. I figured a guy like him would jump at the chance for such furtile pun pay dirt. 
> 
> Anywho you lovely folk I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I was also thinking about posting the odd monster almanac page detailing more into the world about things like what Ener-Tech is, Soul manipulation magics, or even more about Soul frequency. 
> 
> I'm still up in the air about it, but if there's a lot of interest I think it could be fun. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading! <3 take care, stay safe, and keep being beautiful.


	7. Never as it seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see more of the city, and say goodnight to Catty. 
> 
> Also there's angst but sorta' bitter sweet angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: Mentions of mental health issues, suicide, and medical stuff. 
> 
> If you're ever at that edge or feel like you're close to it, please reach out for help. Some one really cares about you, even if you don't think so, or your mind keeps trying to refute it, the fact is there that you are cared for and you deserve that care. You're not alone. 
> 
> National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
> 
> (They also have an online chat)
> 
> Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

Reed counted herself lucky that the ‘Hospital and Healing Center’ was far enough away that Catty decided they could use one of the many day trollies available. She had needed the rest before being asked dozens upon dozens of medical questions, all ranging from her personal medical history to what places she had been. The staff had been polite, and kind, but it was still a chore having to go from one office to another in a constant play of doctor musical chairs through long hallways and oft on opposing levels. She understood why it was necessary, the preliminary work needed for future ease, but that didn’t help how frustrating the ordeal was. She had a distaste for paperwork as it was, and being asked to rewrite the same information over and over again wore down her patience. It hadn’t helped that the hospital had been modeled after the ones outside of the walls as an attempt to make their human patients more at ease. The intent was nice, but the execution misplaced. Very few liked hospitals, and she was no exception.

They were always too bright, had the overbearing aseptic odor of antiseptics, no matter how much cheap floral spray was used, and it oft felt like she was being judged. The worst ones were those that had obviously been given major donations, as they looked more like expensive malls than anything. It was a nod towards how much money had been sunk into the aesthetics of the place rather than into the patients care. It was a sad fact that back home patient dumping, while illegal, was still rampant and dues far higher than was morally sound. Ten dollars for a cotton ball was sadly, an accepted and normal occurrence within the health system of her home country. At least where she was it didn’t smell like chemicals and the hallways were painted in something other than that irritating off white or off-putting powder blue. It was also easy to recognize that the staff were treated with respect and dignity as well, rather than over worked and underpaid. They all had genuine smiles, and moved energetically. There were none of the false politeness, sagging eye bags, or flagging steps that Reed had born witness to in every hospital or healthcare facility she had visited. Every time she had gone to an appointment back then she felt sympathy nip at her, even if she had met with a not so pleasant nurse or doctor, she knew they had it rough. 

Reed would be the first to admit that she had a few biased opinions when it came to health care. 

The staff of the New Home Hospital had poked, prodded, taken various biological samples, and even did an external Soul scan. When it came to that last test Reed couldn’t blame the Soul specialist when they had blanched at the sight, scales paling and giving her a very befuddled expression. She had shrugged it off, not in the least bit affected by their reaction or by the state of her Soul. The first time it had been shown to her, the woman had felt two things, the first awe in the fact that Souls could exist in physical form, the second a piqued interest in the science behind Souls as a whole. When it came to her Soul in particular, she was in no way shocked at how it looked. It was ‘her’ after all. She had a general feeling that was how it would turn out. Seeing her Soul wouldn’t change her plans or how she saw herself, it was just another fact of life, and in her eyes a convenient way to check on her own progress as time went on. 

Reed turned to her liaison as they exited the glass doors of the front emergency entrance, finally done with all of the appointments that day, giving her a tired smile. “Well that was a bitch and a half. Maybe next time I’ll be able to see the Healing Center?”

Unlike the Hospital portion of the grounds, the healing center was all monster design. It was a building set apart from the hospital, settled across the street. It was accessible from either the ground level or by a glass walk way that stretched over the street from one building to the other. The healing center was a giant dome of glass on the first level with partitions on the bottom floor dedicated to different ecosystems. There was a beautiful rainforest with vines hanging from the ceiling and even vibrantly colored birds, some settled into tiny nest baskets that hung from high tree branches over a winding dirt path that followed all around the other systems. Next to the rainforest was a deciduous forest that seemed to have been made to be forever in the autumn season, leaves falling gently onto faded grass, and piling along the banks of a pond. After that there was a snowy biome, of which Reed could barely see a thing as she was at the wrong angle. One could see that there were more areas that followed the pathway all around the giant dome, each a new and interesting area to explore. If she squinted she could see that in the center there was an elevator encased in more glass that would raise people through different levels of an internal circular building that rose to at least six flights in height. 

The ‘cylinder’ was made from something akin to white marble, the surface lightning streaked with gold and obsidian. Large circular windows had been set into the stone, climbing up to the top in a winding spiral. Reed supposed those must have been offices for the workers, examination rooms for the patients, and many other rooms for various uses. When she had asked a nurse she had been told that the Healing Center was a place for relaxation and recovery. It even had a garden that spanned the whole roof. They generally only used the hospital for the few needed human surgeries, introductions, and office space, or in her words, “The messy bits”. It was a fair assumption that she would see the center as her health appointments progressed. 

Reed gave a long breath, feeling the chaos of the day roll from off of her as she stood on the pavement next to her liaison, casting her eyes skywards to bear witness to a brilliant sky blanketed by crystalline twinkling stars. “Wow,” She intoned softly, “I’m surprised we can see the stars here. Usually in a city it’s hard to see more than the north star, but this?” She looked to Catty of whom was giving her human companion a gentle smile. 

“We kinda have a thing about the sky. It’s like, a big deal, so when sun set comes the lights get dim.” To prove her point she waved a paw towards one of the old world looking street lamps that was closest to them, its base surrounded by lush shrubbery where a cloud of fire flies had nested. The flame shaped bulb inside the glass was indeed fairly dim, the flickering light just giving enough luminescence to move by. Reed blinked, and felt a happy appreciation for how the monsters treated the world around them, her gaze roving over the other lights in their immediate area, noting that only those on the hospital doors and vehicles remained bright. 

“So they only dim the tertiary ones. That’s smart, and saves a lot of energy, but to do it just so they can keep seeing the stars?” She thought, her smile faltering as she realized why. They had spent so long in the dark, devoid of the natural wonders her own people had taken for granted. It was a bitter sweet moment, but one full of the hope that monsters displayed in the most simple and silent of ways. 

Catty giggled and nudged her companion in the side with her elbow, “Like what’s that look for?”

Reed shook her mood off, flashing the cat a grin. “What look? I don’t have a look. You’re the one that’s looking. It’s rude to stare you know.” 

Catty chuckled and placed a hand on Reed’s arm, “Let’s, like, get you home. You’ve lost it.”

“Oh my poor sweet summer child. I never had it.” The human laughed as they began to make their way down towards the visitor parking area that housed a smattering of sheltered pick up plots. 

Reed barely remembered her time in the back seat of the taxi, the woman falling into a light doze as soon as her belt was buckled. Catty had called up the ‘River Service’, explaining that it was owned and run by a specific sort of monster that all went by the same name. Their mysterious driver had been named River Person, and wore what she could only assume was a very large hoody or some sort of cloak. They hadn’t said much beyond a few odd sing song words, that either she had heard wrong, being too tired to process, or they really had actually been utter nonsense. The car was nice at least, the sedan having enough room for her and Catty to sit comfortably on the clean plush seats. The last thought she had was that the vehicle had smelled quite a bit like the air after a storm before her brain had decided to shut down casting her into a comfortable floating darkness.

It had only felt like a few seconds before Reed was shaken awake by her travel companion, the woman grumbling mumbled protests as she unbuckled her seat belt. Her body felt heavy when she dragged it out of the vehicle’s cabin, her mind clouded with that foggy sensation one often received if they were woken without enough sleep. As she stretched out her limbs with a wide unapologetic yawn she overheard Catty ask the driver to wait for her through the front passenger window. She could feel in every fiber of her being the weight of the day bearing down on her bones, but knew that she only had a little bit left to go. Thus she firmly shook her head, and rolled her shoulders feeling relief when her upper spine let out a series of muted pops. There was nothing quite like having her back pop and the decompression after. It was so satisfying. 

“So, like we’re here. Are you going to be able to walk to the front door?” 

Reed gave a sleepy thumbs up to the cat monster, the balmy air of the night not doing her any favors. “Yeah.” She looked around her noting that they had been dropped in a relatively normal looking rural area, well at least normal by human standards.

They stood on a sidewalk that ran with a gentle curve down a small ways to loop into a cul-de-sac. On either side of the road houses were lined, each a respectable distance apart to give her neighbors ample room for their well tended yards. While the houses all resembled near the same model of one to two stories, angled roofing, square windows, and covered front porches, each had a personality of their own. Some had ivy that wrapped around the walls, tiny flowers glowing in an off shade of blue, others had trees she had never before seen in nature, their trunks in wildly different colors and leaves waving in a nonexistent wind. One even had a series of glowing mushrooms along the walkway to the front door. Toys littered the yards of some homes, strewn about on grass or gravel. Not every house had a green lawn, some looked to have sand instead of grass, one in particular seemed to have a yard comprised of marshland, complete with a murky pond. The fire flies seemed to adore that one house, lazily drifting about in mass around squat bushes and hanging moss. 

Reed figured that she might need to reevaluate her view of what normal meant. All in all, the neighborhood seemed like a quiet and cozy little area, if a tad fantastical. She had a feeling that she would be finding frogs in her own yard quite often.

Once she was done with her cursory examination of the area she turned to the house that they had been dropped off before. It was like most of the others with the same angled roof, square windows, and a quaint wrap around porch, but with only a single floor and far more plain. She noted that the yard was one of those that had thick grass, and a single young birch tree settled in the middle of it. What she was thankful for where the line of squat pointed fur trees. 

They stood guard in a line that she assumed would wrap the whole span of her property and at nine feet tall they would give her ample privacy. Unless they were of some sort of magical variety that would never grow fatter or higher, Reed surmised that she would need to learn how to properly trim the plants, otherwise they would overrun her house. She made a mental note to keep a wary eye on the trees next to the two car garage as their branches were so close they nearly brushed the cream painted siding. 

“So, like, what do you think?” Catty stepped up beside the human, Reed’s manila envelope and a second parcel in her paws. 

Reed gave her a slow smile, “It’s perfect.”

“Good!” The cat smiled, and placing a paw on her charge’s shoulder to gently guide her to the dark oak front door. “Let’s get you inside, but I can’t really go over it with you. I gotta, like, get home and stuff.”

Reed chuckled, “No worries. I know it’s late. I’m a big girl Catty, I can handle myself.”

“Okay but, if you need anything, you can call me. There’s a landline inside. Like, every house here has one in case of emergencies.”

“Neat.”

“So, like, call me k?”

“Uh huh.”

“Reed.”

The human hummed in question as they stood in front of the door, her head resting against the cool surface.

“You gotta’ like, use the key.”

“Yeah.”

“You gonna’ take it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Reed”

She hummed again.

“Reed.” Catty drew her name out.

Once more the liaison was answered with an absent minded hum. Moments passed before Reed felt a light jab into the soft part of her side, immediately causing the woman to jump away with an undignified squawk, her hands up in defense, eyes wide. Her quite suddenly wide awake gaze landed on the whiskered perpetrator, Catty’s shoulders shaking in mirth and paws out. In one paw were the parcels containing all of Reed’s paperwork, identification, and medications, in the other a set of two silver keys. 

“That’s not nice!” Reed griped as she swiped the objects from the cat, choosing to ignore her giggles. 

“But, you, like, were trying to make out with the door.”

“Hey, you leave my love life out of this. What did the door ever do to you?”

Catty let loose a few more giggles, then sighed. “Just get inside and get some sleep, unless you like, want to sleep on the porch?”

Reed made a show of thinking that option over, tilting her head and rubbing her chin. When she noticed her liaison’s patience waning she gave a low snort, shoving the house key into the lock and turning it. “I get it. I get it.” She opened the door, and turned a cheeky smile to Catty, “I’ll let you know via that app from your pamphlet once I get my phone. I promise that I’ll maybe not forget.”

“Reed.” The Cat’s tone held a mild warning.

“Hey at least I’m honest. Anyway, get home to your wife.” She made a shooing motion toward the waiting black cab. “I’m sure she misses you and wants to hear every little detail about today.”

Catty’s tail twitched, lifting with her mood as she thought about her mate. “Okay. Like, good night Reed.”

“Night.”

The two waved to one another as Catty made her way to the cab and Reed stepping into the entryway of her new home. She didn’t close the door until the cat monster was on her way down the street.

“Welp. Time to see what I’ll be living with.” The woman took a deep inhale, and let it out into the dark of what was then her entry way. She reached a hand out to find a light switch, making a triumphant nose low in her throat when she found it. She gave a swift upwards flick of her finger, flooding the area with enough light to make her squint. After blinking away the spots in her vision, she took in the site before her, only moving forward after absentmindedly turning the lock on her front door. 

The house had a fairly open plan. The entryway lead directly into the living room, with a short hallway at the back and a large kitchen to the right. From where she was, she could see a glass door that lead straight into her backyard from the end of the hallway. When she stepped further in, she noted that another door had been placed on a wall within the small dining area. She supposed that door was for the garage. 

The living room was spacious and inviting, its floors a rich brown hard wood that gleamed under the inset lights on the high ceiling. There was a small step up from the entryway proper, a mud mat placed within the dip, giving a pleasant difference to the levels of the architecture. There was a couch that could seat four, with dark gray upholstery that offset the white of the walls. She frowned at the thought of sitting with her back to the front door, and considered finding a different position for the furniture.

On the left wall was a cubby large enough that she could lay in with an equally as large picture window, its top an elegant arch. The window had a thick set of blackout curtains, that hung from a straight rail, unable to fully block out the light via the top arch. It was yet another small fix for her to settle in the future, but she was in no way ungrateful. She was excited to be able to use the cubby window as a reading spot, and all around lounge area already planning a shopping trip for a bevy of pillows and other soft materials to line it with.

In front of the couch, mounted on the wall, flanked by two hardwood bookshelves was a large flat screen television. She appreciated the monster’s kindness, but Reed wasn’t sure that the tech would get much use. She didn’t plan on entertaining people, and had a tendency to favor her lap top or and phone for her entertainment purposes. While nice, the living room felt empty, devoid of personal flair. She supposed that what was in the pile of boxes that sat neatly stacked by the coffee table in front of the couch would help with that. All of her personal belongings from her old home were in those cardboard cubes. 

“The movers sure are quick.”, Reed stated softly as she moved her inspection to the kitchen and dining area, placing her keys and parcels on the small four seater dining room table, wincing as the keys scraped along the glass.

The dining room wasn’t much, just a small area for anyone to sit and enjoy a meal. The table was a simple glass top settled on a metal structure, surrounded by four wooden chairs. There was a small bench that sat under a window with a seat one could lift for extra storage and behind the table was the door to the garage. In a word, it was quaint. 

The star of the house, at least to her, was the kitchen. Reed made her way to the half bar that was topped with a dark rustic looking stone, and leaned against it as she surveyed the kitchen area. The floor was tiled with even more stone, but unlike the counters and half bar, it was white with tiny dark flecks to add character. The walls were also tiled, the ceramic placed into a checkerboard pattern of white and black. The cabinets that hung above the counters, as well as the counters themselves, had been stained a rich mahogany, their handles a shining silver. 

Reed smiled in delight when she ran a critical eye over the appliances, all looking to be brand new. The refrigerator was the sort that had double doors and a pull out freezer. The double bin sink was deep with high arch neck faucet, and ergonomic handles for easy use if one couldn’t use their hands. She remembered the pain of needing the rewash faucet knobs over and over again any time she had dealt with raw meat, so the design of her sink made her excited for the next time she could cook. Oh how she itched to try out a new recipe. The oven was just as impressive, the appliance one of a newer model that had two compartments that could be put at differing temperatures, and flat electric burners. It was like Christmas for the woman, and when she had opened one of the lower cabinet doors out of curiosity, she was more than happy to find the hidden dishwasher. 

Reed thanked whomever had decided to place her in that house, if anything for the kitchen alone. 

It would have been a safe bet for anyone to assume that the woman may have spent a little too much time fawning over her new kitchen, before moving on to the rest of the house. 

In the short hallway rested her new bedroom, right behind the living room. It held a queen sized bed, dresser set, beside table, and a decently sized closet. The room had one window that faced the side of the house, the other wall holding the closet. Across the hallway there was a linen closet, a utility room complete with washer and dryer, as well as the bathroom. 

The woman may have spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom as well. It held the normal needs for any human with a toilet, sink, and bathing area, however, the bathtub was a god send. It was a large, ceramic, claw foot tub big enough that Reed knew if she sat in it the water would easily hit her chin. In the wall beside the tub, someone had decided to create in set shelves for care products and the like. She was glad that she wouldn’t need to add any more. Above the tub a white shower curtain and rail had been hung from the ceiling for privacy. That may have been a problem as a shower curtain was supposed to keep water from splashing onto the floor, but the tiled floor had been created with that in mind via having a tilt to it with a drain settled just before the tub. It certainly would make cleaning the bathroom far easier. 

Reed looked up and noted with a happy hum that showers would not be an issue either, seeing a lovely brass rain shower head resting from a multi jointed metal holder in the wall. Now if only everything except for the tub, mirror and sink hadn’t been colored a pastel aqua green. She shrugged, not willing to let color preference bother her when she had been given so much as it was. 

The tour of the rest of the house went by in a blur, the day once again catching up to her rapidly. Reed yawned wide as she turned away from the back door that lead into the yard, having checked its lock and closed the blinds over it, much like she had with every window and other point of entry in the house.

She mulled over where she would prefer to spend her night, teetering between digging through the boxes to find her blankets and pillows for the bed, or throwing herself at the comfortable couch in the living room. She was too tired for one, but the other left her without a pillow as a convenient decorative throw blanket had been left folded on one of the cushions. She idly wondered if it were some sort of welcome home gift left from the city. She scratched at her hair with yet another yawn, making her way to the kitchen, resolved to make a decision after she had gone through her medications. 

Reed trudged toward the dining room, kicking her shoes off to be left in the middle of the hallway, and tossing her jacket over the moving boxes. She was far more mindful of her button down shirt, however, careful with the new jet black buttons that Charlotte had so kindly sewn in for her. She peeled the shirt off, and placed it over the back of one of the dining room table chairs, and reached behind her to unhook her bra from beneath her black tank top undershirt so she could shrug out of the restricting brace. With a wanton flourish Reed pulled the bra from her shirt and tossed it away, not caring where the damned thing landed.

That was a problem for the her of tomorrow. The next to go were her earrings and pants, the former finding a home on the table and the latter the floor. Feeling much more comfortable in her tank top and underwear, the woman flopped into a chair and pulled one of the parcels towards her, tearing open the paper the upend the thing over the table. Six different glass bottles with medical labels fell to the glass, were stopped from rolling away by her free hand and set down in a line before her. 

Reed picked up each bottle to examine the label after tossing the empty paper towards a trash can, missing the mouth by an inch. She braced an elbow onto the table and rested her head in her hand as she read what each medication was meant for, and when they should be taken. There was nothing new to her, until she picked up the last and most colorful bottle, having saved that one for the last. 

The bottle itself had a white label much like the rest with black typed letters, the same screw on child proof cap, and was the same shape as the others, however it was its contents that made the bottle unique. Reed twisted off the cap and tilted the container. Inside was a month’s supply of monster candy. The minute round little balls of hard candy came in all the colors of the rainbow and gave a dull glow announcing that they were full of magic, the dim light pulsing slowly. 

“Who woulda’ thought these things could cause such a ruckus?” Reed murmured, tilting one into her palm. It was odd to think that a tiny innocuous piece of candy could be treated like a heavily regulated drug? The candy itself was just that, candy. It was hard sugar and flavoring molded into a tiny sphere. What set it apart from what one could find in any store, however, was the type of magic held within them. Now Monster candy was not rare. It was easily accessible and found in many stores, Reed having seen some in a shop window when she and Catty had walked down the way towards Charlotte’s Parlor, but that was different than what she held in her palm. The candy Reed had been prescribed had been infused with high levels of condensed green magic and healing intent. Only a fraction of the monster population was able to produce them, but that wasn’t why they were so regulated. 

Medical monster candy could heal minor wounds, and bolster the Soul. It wasn’t a cure-all, not able to heal anything more serious than broken finger, or a bloody nose when it came to the physical. The worse the medical problem, the less the candy would affect as the magic was limited and the lack of a proper guiding intent making complicated healing impossible. 

The problem wasn’t with the healing properties of the candy. It was with the side effects if the consumer took them without needing healing, or took far more than needed. Humans had shown side effects varying from euphoria, a burst of strength, temporary clarity, and excruciating pain. While the candy wasn’t chemically addictive, it still held a high risk on the mental scale, as well as a risk of bolstering a black market of illicit dealings. To further matters, monsters had no idea what it would do to a human’s Soul or body if they were to be exposed to high levels of Soul manipulation based magic for a long period of time. There were theories, of course, some wondering if the Soul would ‘melt down’, or if it could act as a catalyst for a mage Soul to awaken. Neither theory was a pleasant one for monster kind. Mages had been the ones to trap them under the mountain, and no one wanted to experiment only to kill the volunteers in one of the most horrific ways a monster could imagine. 

Any patient had to be heavily vetted, and their health evaluated for necessity before they could even begin the process to request the candy for a prescription. More often than not, it was given to the elderly and infirm, or to the terminal. In Reed’s case, she was prescribed the stuff because of her own set of circumstances surrounding her Soul, mental health, and physical chronic condition. She wasn’t exactly terminal in the traditional sense, nor was she infirm, but she was in need of help.

As if to accentuate her thoughts the woman felt a sharp pang assault her shoulder, and the area around her ribs tighten. Giving a silent prayer for the little ball in her hand to work, she tilted her head back as she threw it into her mouth. Like all magical food, the candy dissolved when she swallowed, the magic immediately being absorbed into her body.

No sooner had she titled her head forward and blinked, did the candy go to work. She felt her muscles relax, the knots in them unwind, and minute tremors cease. When she took a deep breath in, there was less pain. In fact, there was no pain at all. Reed took in another deep breath, awe beginning to blossom within her chest replacing the ever present ache, with tears springing to her eyes. She shakily stood up, moving slowly as if going too fast would shatter the moment and cause her to wake up. She lifted an arm over her head, noting that her movements had become smooth without the usual conscious effort on her part to appear normal. As the thought hit her, she let her hand fall, then looked towards the hallway. 

Reed took off at a sprint to the back door, and spun on the ball of her foot to make for the front door. She did that three times before stopping back at the dining room table, one hand clutching at the edge, knuckles white, the other over her mouth to muffle a sob as tears streaked unhindered down her cheeks. 

She could run again.

Yes Reed was tired, but that was on the back burner. 

She didn’t have to consciously think about her movements, She didn’t have to force herself not to limp. She could breath. She could move. She could think clearly without the ever present fog. She didn’t have to pretend anymore.

She wouldn’t have to live with the constant fear of a Flair. It was a mind numbing agonizing sort of affliction that would hit her a random times. Most of the time she could feel one coming, and could react in time to make herself scarce or mentally prepare to hide it, however, there were other times that the flair would hit her too suddenly to prepare for. It was a horrible pain that robbed not only her physical strength but her mental strength as well. In those moments, at the worst of it, Reed had begged silently for it to stop. She didn’t care how. Sometimes she would pray that her ribcage would finally give out, a rib snapping under the pressure of her seizing muscles so the resulting spike would allow her to pass out. Other times, when the torment felt too much, she, not being sound of mind, would wish it would just kill her. She just wanted it to stop. There was no room for anything else in her mind during those moments, when she felt like she was dying. 

The PTSD didn’t help matters one bit when the flairs happened either, the encroaching feeling of absolute helplessness making her nauseous, terrible memories threatening to surface, on top of feeling hopeless. Add to that her personal view of being an absolute failure, and the fear of lashing out at those she loved, or crashing her car because of her unreliable body.

A piece of candy had given Reed the potential to get her life back. She could, after so many years, finally see herself having a future.

She wouldn’t have so few spoons.

She wouldn’t be a burden.

She could feel certain in being able to work like she used to.

She was so much closer to being a normal person again.

She felt amazed, and so very overwhelmed. 

Reed hadn’t needed her sleep medication, as that night neither the bed, nor the couch had been used, the woman having cried herself into a dreamless sleep at the dining room table, a smile on her face.

Unbeknownst to the slumbering human, two figures had been watching her from the moment she had entered the home, hidden within the bush like fir trees, only moving when she had gotten too close to the window.

“So what do you think?” One voice intoned lowly, the owner tapping a boney knuckle on the wall next to the cubby hole window they were leaning against.

Their compatriot hummed thoughtfully as they leaned closer to the window, eye lights peering through a crack where the drapes had settled awkwardly when they had been closed. “S’a bit early to tell.” They leaned back to look at the first speaker. “Kid’s got a lot goin’ on, an I ain’t sure bout’ er’ Soul jus’ yet. Still gonna’ be unstable. Good ol’ M.C. ain’t gonna fix all that.”

The first gave a nod, “Think she’s going to cause a problem?”

There was a thoughtful hum. “Nah. Not in the sense where yer concerned. Still, best ta’ keep an eye socket on er’ from time ta’ time. If it gets too bad, jus’ gimme a ring.”

“So, you’re not worried.” It wasn’t a question.

The second shrugged, “No’ reason given ta’. Not yet at least. Sides’ if what ya’ said was true the kid’s already got the tention’ of people in tha’ know.” They turned towards the window again, rocking back on their heels. “Nothin’ but wait an see. We got better things ta’ do right now anyway.”

“If that’s what you think. You’re the expert.”

“Mm-hmm”

“Going back to the rez?”

“Yeah. Got some ferals getting’ ready ta’ try goin’ social again. We’ll see how that works. At the moment Hunter an’ his brother got em’ under control. Gotta’ be there ta’ stem any fracturin’”

“Good.”

“Ya’ goin’ back over tha’ wall or ya’ got somethin’ else ta’ do?”

“Nah. I don’t have any missions like that for a while. Right now just helping my bro with his work load and research.”

“Good. I’ll see ya’ both back at mine then.”

The first speaker gave a low chuckle, “Sure old timer. Whatever you say.”

With that both presences vanished, leaving the smell of petrichor and ozone behind, the denizens of the neighborhood left none the wiser to their existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoof. That was a heck of a heavy chapter to write. I'm actually nervous about it.
> 
> Anywho, 
> 
> Did I ever mention that there were skellys that I didn't put in the tags? 
> 
> No?
> 
> Welp there are. We gots us a mystery!
> 
> Lol no worries though. I'll update the tags when they're properly introduced in plot. 
> 
> Well you gorgeous folks thank you again for reading, commenting, and leaving those delicious kidos! I feel so very spoiled! 
> 
> Stay your wonderful, beautiful selves and have a great day! <3


	8. New job, who dis?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the MC in her new work environment.

“What’s the Wi-Fi password?”

Reed’s shoulders hunched briefly as the bored voice grated against her ears causing a near overflow of frustration to well within her gut. She reminded herself to relax, slapping on a placid smile before turning from the white board to face her class;

And Jerry.

“If this mutherfucker asks that shit one more time, I’m going to lose my shoe between the chumbs of his garbage dump scented , Grimace UFO lookin’ ass. I swear.” She seethed internally, her smile still as gentle as before, but gaze sharply focused on her most infuriating student. 

“Jerry,” she breathed, her voice thick with false maternal patience, “If you would save the password and not log out every time you leave a lecture hall or classroom, you would not need to keep asking this, disrupting the time you, and your classmates have with me.”

The purple monster grumbled with a strange wet burping sound, and wiped an orange powdery substance onto the long curved table in front of him carelessly, with an elitist sneer. “But the Wi-Fi at the Café’ and in the hallways is better.”

“Jerry,” Her tone flattened, “It’s the same signal.”

He scoffed at her, rolling his eyes before looking back to the phone latched between fat greasy fingers, “There are more than one. Jeez. Humans are supposed to be smart.”

Reed counted to ten in her head, teeth grit, before retaining her professional bearing. “Then why don’t you save the passwords?”

“Can’t remember them.” He shrugged as he typed away at something on his device. 

Her eyebrow twitched, as she tried again, “Then perhaps it would help to write them down.”

The annoying monster let out another grating scoff, his tone condescending. “That’s not very secure. What if I lose my bag or someone steals it? Huh?”

Reed had to remind herself that attempted murder, or even maiming a student would not look good for her career. She was certain that she couldn’t argue with the authorities on the grounds of temporary insanity, let alone moral ambiguity. Instead, she would have to make due with an attempt at being clever. She took in a heavy breath, and released it slowly whilst leaning a hip onto the desk at the front of the room, reserved for professors, her mind turning. She cut her gaze towards Jerry to regard him, hopefully, in a different light. What motivated a student? What motivated him? How could she work his obsession with the internet, cheese puffs, and gaming in her favor?

She noted the irritated, disgusted looks that most of her students were bearing at the obnoxious lout, and understood their unspoken grievances. If she didn’t do something soon, then she was sure that scholastic pandemonium would break out, with loud arguments, flying school supplies, and something quite possibly set on fire. 

Captain Edge of Fell Clan seemed to be especially at the end of his rope, his crimson slits for eye lights locked onto Jerry as though he were an enemy target the skeleton would love to neutralize with only the utmost extreme bias. He bared his sharpened blade like teeth in a deep scowl at the student below him, subconsciously digging his claw tipped phalanges into the wood of the curved table, leaving behind thin grooves. His fellow students, if they weren’t trying to subtly move out of the range of Jerry’s miasma of entitlement, were eyeing the tall ‘sharply’ uniformed skeleton as though he were an atomic bomb with a case of situational Tourette’s. Even her best peace keeping student, Blue of Swap Clan, was lacking his usual proclivity towards reaching a peaceful resolution, by not bothering to hold his table neighbor back, instead glaring at Jerry of whom sat below them in the first tier of seats.

A tier that he had all to himself.

From the very first day the problematic monster had shown up to her lectures, of which he was a week late, he had destroyed any sort of classroom conversation. If he wasn’t making loud wet chewing noises as he ate from a crinkly snack bag, he was asking the most inane questions of her without even bothering to wait for her to acknowledge him, often cutting her off mid sentence. On top of that, his questions were never about the subject of the day, most often they were based upon some sort of complaint about the slow Wi-Fi. 

Wait. That could work. 

Reed’s eyes lit up with an epiphany, her smile becoming more genuine. 

“Jerry. Since you seem to be woefully uninterested in learning what I have to share, I can assume that you already have quite the grasp on the material yes?” 

Those watery black beady eyes finally looked up, Jerry squinting at her with suspicion. “Duh.”

The woman nodded before stepping away from the desk to make her way towards her student at a languid pace. The class was under a hush, all eyes on the human in anticipatory curiosity. Reed leaned down to place her hands on the desk, allowing herself to be far too close to Jerry for comfort. She internally hoped that the stench he exuded wouldn’t cling to her suit pants or button up, yet in spite of that disturbing thought, continued to grin.

“So, if I were, to say, give you a specialized test, then you would pass it correct?”

Jerry looked at her as though she was an utter idiot, sticking one of those pudgy digits into what looked to be a nose hole, and picking at it. “Obviously.”

She nodded sagely, as though agreeing with the little shit. “Well then, lets see about that.”

“Whatever.”

The class of thirty two monsters watched silently as their human studies guest lecturer dipped behind the desk to acquire a black leather bound satchel. She settled it onto the desk top with a thud that seemed to echo in the lack of sound, flipped the main flap open and reached within to procure a thick accordion folder case. Slender fingers picked through several sheaves of paper before she made a soft noise of accomplishment. Reed plucked four papers from within the file case, and settled the rest back into her bag. With a self-satisfied grin she planted the papers in front of Jerry, even giving him a pen that she had stowed away in her trouser pocket so that he would have no excuse. 

“Jerry, why don’t you answer these questions and prove to me, and your classmates, that you do indeed know the material. You can take all the time you need to finish, even the whole of todays class if you like.” No matter how sweetly said, her words were not a request. 

Jerry gave a derisive snort as he looked down at the papers before him, and took up the pen with a conceited smirk. “Not like I’ll need it.” 

For once the malignant attitude was rendered mute for a time as Jerry worked on the test. Reed gave him a complacent nod, before turning her attention to the others that had been patiently waiting for the drama to end. “All right. While Jerry completes his assignment, shall we review the topic of our last time together of human economics?”

She huffed when she heard a world weary looking cat in the back row groan. “Don’t worry B.P. I won’t get too into the nitty-gritty details. It’s just an overview.” She bit back a laugh as he simply groaned louder, looking for all the world like a puddle of fur as he lay over his table in an overdramatic show of misery. The poor guy just couldn’t catch a break between his schooling and work schedule but she couldn’t afford to let him off the hook. “Humanities”, as the Dean so eloquently named the various fields of study on humanity itself, was a required set of credits that the students needed in order to pass onto the next level of their education, let alone graduate. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that the title meant something different in the education system that she had grown up with.

“Right, so who here can tell me exactly what consumerism is and how it relates to capitalism?”

“Done.”

Just as Reed was about to call on a blue rabbit monster that was dressed like he was in a 90’s grunge band, piercings and all, Jerry had interrupted her.

She balked, for a moment in surprise. “You’re what?”

Jerry sneered. “I said I was done.” He waved the sheets at her, some stained with that orange powder.

“Well, that was fast.” She gave the rabbit an apologetic look, “Please excuse me Rath.”

The Fell clan rabbit shrugged, a mean smile sliding over his furry scarred maw when he turned to look at Jerry with a low rough smoker’s chuckle. “S’aight Ms. Lane. Can’t wait to see this shit show.”

“LANGUAGE!” 

“LANGUAGE!”

Reed winced as both Blue of Swap Clan and PAPYRUS of First Clan loudly admonished the unfazed rabbit monster, of whom ignored their protests with a flick of his notched ear. 

“Gentlemen please.” Blue and Papyrus gave her bashful looks as they realized that they had gotten far too loud once again, hurting her ears. 

“I Apologize Hu-er, Ms. Lane.” Papyrus wrung his red gloved hands pensively, and straightened the bright orange bow tie he had on over his bone patterned button up, cheekbones aglow with abashed tangerine magic.

“I’m Sorry Too.” Blue intoned as well, the stars in his cornflower colored eye lights morphing back to simple white dots. He was blushing as well, his magic a pleasant baby blue that went well with the bandanna he wore around his neck, the material a few shades darker. 

She shook her head and chuckled lightly, waving the skeletons off, “Don’t worry about it gentlemen. In fact, this is the first time in a week that you two have shouted like that. That’s some major progress. I’m proud.” The blushing only burned brighter, but they had smiles again, Blue’s stars returning to his eye lights. 

“Ugh. Gross. Can I go to the bathroom yet or are you going to take these?”

The glaring was back, as all eyes landed on Jerry once more. 

“Well?” He groused at her, waving the papers her way. 

“Of course Jerry! Let’s have a look shall we?” A few of her students winced at the absolute false sugary sweetness that Reed had laid on thick to her tone. She deftly plucked the sheets from his grubby digits, avoiding any sort of physical contact with him, and scanned over them.

As the seconds past by her brows rose ever higher, threatening to disappear into her hairline, as she read over his shockingly neat handwriting. 

“Jerry.”

“What?”

“What the fu-“ Reed cleared her throat, catching her slip up, eyes still glued to the papers, “frick?”

She looked at him in astonishment. “Why in the world did you not fill out the tests when I gave them? Jerry, why are you even here?!”

The moist looking blob of a monster shrugged, “Need the credits.”

“How do you even know half of this? I haven’t started on the basics to biology and you know what Tampons are.”

The guy had even given her several paragraphs explaining the intricacies of what a meme was. The test that she had given him had been something that the woman had created one night in a blind attempt to break through her writers block. She had written at least eighteen pages of questions about humans that ranged from table manners, generations classification, and taxes to gaming lingo, comic books, and menstruation. It was just a way for her to attempt to write a proper syllabus for the first time without feeling like an absolute moron. That test was practically an end of year exam and he had aced a portion of it. She was impressed, if not slightly confused. Maybe his Wi-Fi obsession had some merit to it after all, not that she would be willing to allow his bad behavior to continue. Instead she had another idea.

“Every question on here is correct.” Reed stated, noting the smug look on his face, “I will admit, it’s obvious that you have an advanced grasp on human culture, how far, I’m not certain. You will need to complete more tests before I can properly rate your aptitude.”

At the sound of more tests Jerry rolled his eyes and groaned, but was halted as his lecturer held up her hand to stop him from making a complaint. “How about this? You will get a new test for each class, and upon completion with a passing grade, you will be released from having to be stuck here with the rest of us, however,” She leveled him with a firm stare, “You need to be here. I cannot send them to you as you have to be physically here for roll call. Should you pass the tests and decide to leave I will allow it with full credit for the day. “

Jerry sneered at her, face twisted with skepticism. “Your just trying to ditch me, aren’t you?” 

Reed blinked, taken aback by the heat behind his words, his anger almost palpable. “He must have that happen to him a lot. He must be bitter.” She thought with a twinge of pity. She waved a hand as thought to sweep away his accusation with a sigh. “Jerry, no one is ditching you. You’re being given the privilege to leave the class early if, and only if, you want to. It’s you’re choice. Besides, “Her smile grew a touch sly, “The internet at the coffee shop is so much better, and during classes, the best seats are empty.”

That got to him. Jerry’s beady little eyes lit up at her suggestion with a sort of greed only the caffeine and internet addicted could know. “Yeah?”

She nodded, “Yes. I’ll even let the dean know of our arrangement, and this,” She held up the papers with his answers, “Grants you your first taste of freedom.”

The oddly shaped monster smirked and he stood up, his chair screeching across the tile, his visage that of a pompous vainglorious pile of play-doh as he looked back to his classmates with a snide laugh. “Later losers. I’m ditching you!” With that he waddled his way to leave from the classroom door, not bothering to stop the heavy thing from slamming behind him.

“Well,” The suddenly relaxed human let out a long cleansing breath, “Let’s try to get back on track shall we?” The class erupted with a few of the louder ones whooping in jubilant glee that Jerry had gone, while others gave more subdued, if only by a fraction, smiles. It didn’t get past the woman that when she had made eye contact with the Fell Clan Captain he had given her a near imperceptible nod, acknowledging and approving of her tactical prowess when it came to dealing with an absolute unit of a headass.

If she were honest with herself, of which she often attempted to be, she was somewhat proud of herself. The woman was an absolute novice when it came to teaching, never having actually taught a room full of university students before, but she had hope that she could impart enough knowledge to them to help them with whatever they had their hearts set on. 

Another hope was that she wouldn’t embarrass herself in such a new environment either.

“So, since half of our time was already wasted,” Reed began, walking over to erase the half done notes on her whiteboard that Jerry had interrupted her writing out, “How about we have an open discussion day?” She turned on her heel to give them a light smile, “We can use it to go over anything that might have been missed on the last few topics, or you can just ask me anything that you may have been curious about outside of them. It’s dealers choice.”

She snorted in amusement as half of the class raised their paws, hands, and other extremities. B.P had even raised a paw. “Glad to see you all so eager. Okay,” She looked around before landing on the student she had figured would be the safest bet to start the discussion smoothly. “Papyrus. How about you? What’s your question?”

The mascot of First Clan lit up, his smile chipper, and eye sockets sparkling with innocent curiosity, as he lowered his hand. “Oh! I Get To Go First!”

“Yes. Yes you do.”

“Ms. Reed, what is a Tampon?”

Her mind came to a sudden halt, a single thought running through it, “Papyrus, Why?!” After a moment of mourning for the possibility of a tranquil session that the skeleton had shot down, she recovered with a hesitant, but polite smile. “That’s a fairly loaded question that could take a span of several classes to go over, but I’ll give you the basics for now. You see, human females go through cycles…”

Reed stopped short when she had placed her hands into her pockets subconsciously, a realization smacking into her psyche when she felt them empty. She frowned, forgetting herself in the moment. 

“That little shit stole my best pen!”

“MS. REED, LANGUAGE!”

“LANGUAGE”

It took more than she was willing to admit to hold herself back from flipping Edge off when he had begun to laugh mockingly at her. 

At least her job wasn’t boring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reed: Finally, some peace.
> 
> (Papyrus happens)
> 
> Reed: Fuck.
> 
> Pap and Blue: LANGUAGE! 
> 
> Reed: No. I earned this dangit! (Petulant foot stomp and pout)
> 
> Hey all you gorgeous peoples, I wanna thank you for all the comments and kudos! They're super appreciated and make me all warm and fuzzy in the cockles of my heart. <3 
> 
> Stay your awsome selves and stay safe. Luffs. :3


	9. Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the class room and a conversation with an edge.

“DISGUSTING!”

Reed’s benign smile stiffened at the outburst that had interrupted her lesson, and turned towards the culprit. “Its unfortunate that you feel that way Captain Edge.” 

The seven foot tall skeleton had stood from his seat, arms crossed and expression set into a serrated scowl towards the smaller human. His uniform, colored in black with deep crimson accents had been pressed to crisp perfection, with awarded ribbons set upon his chest and rank pinned to the lapels on full display. His boots, shone to a mirror finish, only added to his height, their color, along with his gloves, matching the accents of his clothing. He bore his gaze down at the lecturer, eye lights the color of hell fire narrowed into slits practically glowing with disdain, a set of deep ragged scars cutting through his left eye socket. A red scarf, having been well cared for but still sporting tatters at it’s edges, had been looped around his neck, somehow pulling together the imposing figure that the skeleton seemed to want to portray. 

The class was deathly silent, all eyes staring at the scene, breaths bated and waiting for fallout.

Reed was not impressed. 

She leaned against her desk, her own arms crossed beneath her breasts and brows raised, “Since you felt the need to speak before being called upon, I’m assuming that you must have something incredibly important to say. So..” She gestured a hand towards him, the other held out to stop his table mates before they could react in her defense, “Have at it. You have the stage.”

Edge scoffed, and looked down at her haughtily, whilst Blue and Papyrus settled back into their seats, worry evident on their faces as they fidgeted anxiously. “I Said _Disgusting_ Human, I Know That You Are Not Deaf.”

“ I’m not, but I want to know how it is that something as natural as menstruation could be disgusting. Please elaborate.” Anger simmered within her, but she kept her bearing, feeling that her lesson on biology was about to become so much more. She silently reminded herself to be patient, and to remain calm. “I’m quite curious.”

The Fell Clan Captain scoffed, “Of Course You Are! Fine Then, I Shall Grace You With How Utterly Filthy It Is.” He leaned forward in challenge, “You Say That Human Females Excrete A Smelly Meaty Mush Every Month, As Though Excrement Isn’t Distasteful Enough! You Walk Around All Day Allowing It To Simply Fester Within Your Cloths To Rot Until You can Change Your…” He faltered in an attempt to remember, but luckily Reed was a merciful mentor finishing the sentence for him.

“Sanitary Napkins, Cups, or Tampons. Really there are a lot of different types.”

He coughed, before straightening himself back up to full height as though intimidation would cover his faulty memory. “Yes! That! There Is Absolutely Nothing _Sanitary_ About It!”

“I see.” The class remained silent, curiosity and trepidation swirling in the air before the spell was broken by their teacher in the form of a loud sharp laugh. “I’m glad to see that humans and monsters can have so much in common.”

“What?!”

She leveled him with a knowing smirk before turning to the rest of the room with a broad smile, sweeping her arms wide in dramatic fashion. “Well class. It seems that this won’t be just the basics on human reproductive biology. Instead, how about we have a history lesson on top of it.”

“But!”

“Sit Down Edge.”, stated the woman, unable to hold herself back from emulating his volume, to cut him off.

“That’s Captain Edge To You Human!”

Reed twitched, her irritation getting the best of her. “No. I don’t think so.” She had stood up to her full height, posture straight, and shoulders back. Her gaze locked onto the Fell Clan Skeleton, gaze steely and tone unyielding. “This is my class, my room, my territory,” With each word she slowly took a step forward, only halting just at his table to stare directly up into Edges bright eye lights, “You may hold rank in the Royal Guard, however, as I see no crime being committed, or citizen being harmed then it’s safe to say that this is where your jurisdiction ends. As a member of the guard it is your duty to serve, and protect. It is NOT your right to abuse the honorable position or the power with it to take from the very ones you are sworn by oath to aid.” She made a motion to the others in the room without looking at them, her attention firmly placed upon the bewildered wide socketed skeleton, “They are here, just as you are, to learn about human culture for the betterment of a shared future. With how tenuous racial and political relations are between the human governments and Monster Country, you would at the very least understand that as a part of the military policing power here you are an unofficial ambassador of your country and would be judged at large as such on the global stage. It is therefore your duty to uphold the honor and dignity of the uniform that you wear, part of which is to curb your own personal racial bias so as to not further strain or put at risk the peace that has been so hard won. So with that said _Captain_ ,” She enunciated the rank, “Perhaps it would behoove you to keep your bearing, sit down, and allow your fellow students their right to an education with the limited time that they have with me.”

Edge stood stock still in open mouthed shock at her. It was when Rath burst into raucous mocking laughter, that he shook himself out of it, sending the scarred rabbit a sneer, before seating himself. He couldn’t think of a suitable come back to the woman, having to unpack the deluge that she had dumped on him, opting instead to settle for narrowing his eyes at her with a deep glower.

“So may I continue with the class again, Edge of Fell Clan, Captain of the Fell division, of the Integrated Royal Guard, or is there more you have to say?”

He grunted, and looked away, “It _Is_ Your Job Human.”

“Oh? Well I would be remiss if I didn’t ask your permission yes?” Edge twitched his gloves creaking with how hard he gripped his forearms as a few giggles joined in with Rath’s wheezing, some of which surprisingly had come from the usually polite and proper Blue. 

“Do What You Want!” 

“Why thank you sir.” Reed’s smirk had come back full force, and she turned from the sulking skeleton to go back to her desk. Once she was again leaning against it, she met her class with a more open smile. “Now that, that’s done, where were we?” 

Blue and Papyrus, ever the energetic students raised their hands, the former climbing on top of his chair so as not to be overshadowed by his friend’s long reach. Reed couldn’t hold back a chuckle at their exuberance, and nodded towards the skeleton dressed in a baby blue button up shirt, the same color as his eye lights, and wearing a dark blue bandanna to compliment it. “Yes, Blue?”

He puffed up proudly at being called on, his eye lights morphing into stars, “Miss Lane, you were talking about history, and how monsters and humans are like each other!” It was adorable how he had continued to hold his hand in the air while he spoke, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“Thank you. You can go ahead and sit down now.” She had to hold back a delighted laugh as he saluted her before promptly jumping off of the chair just to land back into the seat, pencil in hand and note book at the ready. He and Papyrus had been bundles of brightness during her lectures. She appreciated their dedication to the subject as well as their willingness to help her when others became difficult. It made the more, aggravating moments much more bearable. Especially when they helped to break the tension often caused by the more unruly students that wanted to test her boundaries. It was a blessing to have them to help her, but sometimes Reed needed to assert her position to stave off what chaos the classes could bring if they weren’t reminded of her position.

“Now, as I was saying, while we may be of separate species of different biological make ups, that doesn’t mean we don’t follow a few similar perspectives. Some are neutral, others positive, and as Edge has shown, a few negative.” Reed noted the confusion on a few faces and shook her head, “Take today as an example on how menstruation was viewed as ‘disgusting’” She emphasized her point by raising her fingers to make air quotes. “All throughout human history and even today females of the human race have become well acquainted with that word, and many others like it. In many cultures, including my own, we are taught to be embarrassed by something that we cannot control, much less all of us be able to predict when it happens on the dot. Many often feel the need to hide when our cycle hits, as well as any physical indication of being on it. If a young woman where to bleed early and it show on her pants, she would be opened to being made fun of by her peers, while being pitied by her friends. On another note, if she were to only cut her finger and have it stain, then no one would bat an eye.”

Reed took a slow pace in front of her class, pausing to look a few in the eye before moving on, “It’s no secret that in my own country’s history women had been treated as lesser than men, and while we have made great strides to improve this issue, there are still echoes of the inequality within the culture to this day, on both sides, one being how menstruation is handled. Even in my own experience I have found many people put off of discussing it, or even flat out offended by learning anything about it.” She shrugged, “Heck there are even religions of which allude that menstruation is a curse placed upon us by God as a means of punishment for the sin of our ancestors. In others it is considered filthy, and thus put upon women that they are inherently dirty simply by existing as a female.”

She paused her steps to regard the class with a serious expression before turning to the Captain, “As I grew up I was taught hide my pads, or to not speak about my cycle because it was deemed impolite. I was in a way, taught to be ashamed of a natural process that is out of my control, yet necessary to bring new life into this world.”

She made her way to the large white board at the front of the class, and picked up a black dry erase marker to outline a basic uterus, tubes, and ovaries. “These are the organs in which are needed to incubate a human child for nine months, if the woman is lucky and everything healthy. The cycle starts with the ovaries that contain cells that we call eggs. Once a month an egg will travel down the fallopian tubes to be housed within the uterus.” She illustrated her point by running a finger along where the egg’s path would be. “The uterus will have a lining, rich in nutrients and soft enough to safely house the egg. If it is not fertilized by a male, then after a set amount of time, menses will begin and the body will shed the lining along with the egg, using a little blood as the medium.”

Reed tilted her head, and cocked her hip, “That’s the bare basics of it, however, let me state what a woman might go through when the cycle hits.” She raised her hands to tick off each point by raising a finger, “The woman may feel bloated, nauseous, and have emotional instability due to the change in her hormones. She may ache in the abdomen from cramps, and feel all over aches as well.” She dropped her hands, “That’s all well and good for only a number of females. Some can find themselves barely able to go about their day because of the cramping that menstruation can cause, others possibly bed ridden from how agonizing it can become. Tack onto this that emotional instability due to hormone changes can strain relationships and cause the female to feel helpless, even depressed. Some women have regular cycles, others have cycles that do not hold a pattern. Others may find themselves bleeding far longer than normal. Continuing on this line, regarding health problems when it comes to the monthly cycles, it can also be possible for the uterine lining to continue to develop beyond the uterus, covering the internal organs and causing great harm to the woman, in rare cases even organ failure. These are only a few of the developments and problems that human women face, or could face, when it comes to the natural process of our bodies and most of us must deal with them the best we can every month. Even though there are medications that can help with this, they do not always work, one may not have access to them, or simply cannot afford them.”

Reed’s eyes met with Edge’s eye lights again, her gaze steady, whilst his had a slight tremor, “Millions of us suffer through these affects every month, be they the more minor problems, or for the unlucky, the severe. They suffer it in silence because life won’t stop for cramps, and because society would deem it impolite to complain about something so ‘disgusting.’” Once again she made air quotes, before breaking her stare down with the skeleton to sweep over a quiet class room. “So yes, perspective can indeed be similar no matter the race or species, but,” She raised a finger and smiled, “We also share in the trait that with a little knowledge, and with empathy, perspectives can change, hopefully for the better. While there are so many that would look down upon a cycle, or be embarrassed by it, the times are changing and more people are seeing it in a different light than before. Hell,” She shrugged, “We can even joke about it lightheartedly with friends in public now without as many glares or snide remarks like back in my grandparents time.”

“So, with this lesson, you’ve learned a little about the basics of Menstruation, or coequally called, a period, and a lesson about social perspective. Does anyone have any quest-” The deep ringing of a bell caught Reed off guard, “Oh! Well, never mind.” She chuckled and placed her hands into her pockets, “I guess that will have to wait until next time. Don’t worry about any of this being on the test, it wasn’t exactly planned to be on the syllabus. Keep your questions in mind though, and next week I’ll be sure to have some time set aside for them. Until then have a good day and be safe. Oh, and Edge,” The skeleton paused as he was picking up his rather expensive sleek looking brief case, “Could you please see me in my office?” The red and black clad monster merely nodded and continued to gather his belongings while the other two skeletons gave each other a look. 

It was Blue who spoke up first, “Don’t worry Edge!”, he said cheerfully, “Papyrus and I will wait for you in the hall!”

“I Am No Baby Bones! I Need No Escort!” The Fell Clan Captain growled.

“But Edge! This is what friends do!” Blue smiled up at him as Papyrus, ever the kindly monster spoke up as well. 

“Yes! As your friends it is our duty to support you, even when you get into trouble. If we didn’t I wouldn’t be the Great Papyrus, “

“Or the Magnificent Blue!”

“If we left you to brood alone after your, er,” The tall skeleton fiddled with his bright red scarf, his eye light shifting to and fro as he attempted to find a polite way to end his sentence. 

“Meeting!” Blue piped up, his teeth set into a broad smile when Papyrus gave him a thankful pat on his shoulder.

“Why yes! Your meeting! We shall therefore wait in the hall as is polite and shall offer our support when you return!” With that Papyrus and Blue leapt over the table to land on the floor with a heroic pose before rushing out of the classroom door behind the last of their fellow students.

Edge narrowed his sockets in suspicion at the closed door and made his way around the table in a much more dignified manner, at least he thought, than the other skeletons to stand before the amused lecturer. 

Reed simply smiled and made her way to the plain wood office door that was located beside the white board, politely opening it for the frowning Captain to make his way through before her.

The office wasn’t anything special. It was a simple small room made up of cream color painted walls, with a dark wooden border along the ceiling. It held a tall shelf full of bulky black binders that had been haphazardly shoved into any available space, a monster sized two seater green couch that one would probably find at a garage sale, and a blocky oak desk sporting the odd discoloration and scar from long use. Reed gestured for Edge to sit at the couch, while she made her way behind the desk and sat at the high backed swivel chair behind it. 

Oddly silent, the lanky skeleton allowed the door to shut behind him before he settled onto the couch of which, thankfully, had been barely high enough for him to not look like he was going to knock his chin into his knees. He did make a move to cross his legs, but aborted it halfway through as the couch was still not quite high enough to do so comfortably, instead opting to awkwardly cross his ankles and arms after setting his briefcase beside him. He waited as Reed began an attempt at stacking the files neatly so that she had space, a brow bone raised when she gave up with a huff, flopping back into the chair with a hand at the bridge of her nose. He looked around, before idly brushing invisible dust from his trousers, and scoffing. “This office is filthy.”

Reed lifted her hand from her face to regard the unimpressed skeleton and snorted. “I know. This is why I do my paper work at home when I can.” She dropped her hand to lean her arms on one of the stacks to regard her student. “I don’t know how the professors can work in this. Thank you for lowering your voice by the way. My ears wouldn’t be able to take the power of your decibels in here. I appreciate it.” She wasn’t kidding either. His voice was pleasant enough to listen to, if one enjoyed the dulcet tones of an action star sounding like they had gargled a bucket of spent bullet shells for break fast with a rusty cheese grater finish, but in such a small space she wasn’t certain she would be able to hear from the resulting tinnitus.

Edge scoffed once again, but it sounded empty of his usual attempt at contempt, and looked away from her to the door. 

“Well this is moving smoothly.” She thought sarcastically, as the skeleton seemed like he was trying to burn holes through the wood with his eye lights. Reed cleared her throat, deciding that the usual pleasantries wouldn’t work between them, so she should cut to the chase. 

“Edge I need to-”

“I am not a racist.”

She blinked at him, taken aback by how quiet and measured his voice had been. “Eh?”

He abandoned his staring contest with the door to throw her a serious look, “Nor am I speciest.” 

Was that what he had been worried about? Had he really been concerned about how she or the others thought of him? Reed chuckled and leaned back against the chair. “Oh. I know Edge.”

He stiffened, red eye lights thinning to slits. “What?” The ends of his teeth turned down into an accusatory leer. “Then why, _Ms. Lane_ did you act like it?”

She lifted a hand in a placating gesture as an attempt to stop the seething monster from an imminent tirade, and keeping her own voice calm. “Please Edge. We’re not in class any longer, and this is an informal meeting. Call me Reed. As for what happened during the lecture, not once did I call you racist or speciest.”

“You alluded to it human! I, The Great And Terrible Edge, refuse to be spoken down to by a….” His boasting trailed off, Eye lights contracting as his angry expression morphed to an epiphanous one. 

She arched a brow with amusement, “Human?”

He coughed, despite not needing to, his shoulders lowering. 

Sighing, the woman continued on with her explanation, “I take it you understand now that there is a difference between being a racist or speciest, and having a habitual learned bias. While what you were about to say may have sounded like the former, your actions speak far louder than you. Since the first days of you attending my lectures you have taken it upon yourself, along with Blue and Papyrus, to keep your classmates in line.” She tapped one of the piles in front of her with each point, “When Jerry started complaining you would stare him down until he shut up for a while. When Rath had started to play pranks on me, you went out of your way to confront him in the hallway.” She had to hold back a laugh when his eye sockets widened, and a faint glow of crimson magic graced his sharp cheekbones. “Yes Captain, I know about that, and I appreciate it. There are other instances in which you’ve shown that you look at every one under an equal lens, at least when it has nothing to do with your rank anyway.” She threw him a smirk that was rewarded with a heatless scowl.

“With that in mind, I can see why you sometimes still speak like an utter narcissistic brat,”

“Excuse You!?”

“Oh please,” She rolled her eyes, “Dude, you used to be awful about it. Tearing every one down while boasting about yourself, and that went double when it came to humans like myself. Over time you got better, but habits die hard. Add to that your people’s history with humans and how they treated your kind with thousands of years of incarceration, on top of having no real experience with humans to broaden your perspective, I would be shocked if you didn’t have a colored view of us. The Fell Clan in particular have had a hard go of it, all of you needing to create an image harsh enough in order to survive your environment previous to your ascension. It takes time to unlearn all of that.”

Edge crossed his arms, as he too leaned back into the couch, “That does not explain why you chose to publicly flagellate me and undermine my position as a captain of the Royal Guard..”

“It’s because you’re a Captain in the Guard that I did.”

“Explain hu…Reed.”

She smirked. “As usual you’re a quick learner.” That earned her narrowed sockets, his phalanges tapping against his arm with impatient agitation. She shook her head, “Think of it this way. Can you honestly tell me anyone in that class that could handle what I did with as much grace? You’re not even all that offended. You didn’t come at me with complaints, or threatened my job. As someone that earned a rank like yours in the guard, with hard work and sacrifice I assume, you have better shit to do with your time then whine about how someone said mean things to you. Forgive the saying, but you have a thick skin and aren’t exactly weak. I knew you could take it on the chin and keep going. With that said, I asked you in here because I wanted to thank you.”

His phalanges stilled, “You what?”

Reed nodded in affirmation, “I wanted to thank you for allowing me the chance to have a teachable moment for the class like that. I also wanted to thank you for not causing a scene during it, even though you had every reason to. It’s easy to tell people not to do something, or even why, but having a real time experience with it? They’ll remember and understand that far better than any amount of homework or test work I could give them. These are tenuous times with our peoples still trying to figure each other out. Our cultures have a lot of differences from deep to subtle, and every one is a pitfall risk for misunderstanding and offence. That’s why I felt it was important to illustrate that very scenario today, if only to help arm ya’ll for future social situations. I took the risk, while you took a small temporary hit to your reputation, so again thank you.”

She waited as Edge stared her down in silence, feeling the weight of his slit eye lights on her. She silently hoped that he would take her thanks, crushing her anxiety over his possible answer down. Her mind wanted to run through various scenarios of the Captain using his influence to get her into trouble, and having disciplinary meetings with the dean. What if her conduct caused them to question her citizenship? What if he chose to be offended after all and decided to stop helping to keep the class in line? What if he chose to tell the class that she was singling him out and they lost respect for her? She didn’t know if she could take the disappointed looks from her best students, Blue and Papyrus’s faces flashing through her mind. What if she had made an enemy of Edge? She actually liked the prickly bastard. 

“You’re not going to apologize?”

Reed blinked a few times as his words shook her from her downward spiral, and snorted. “Hell no.” She may have liked him, but that wouldn’t keep her from speaking her mind.

The skeleton’s brows lowered, “And why not?”

She grinned, placing her chin into her palm, her elbow braced against the chair arm, “Because it would mean that I regretted my actions, which wouldn’t be fair to you, or the others. I’m also not going to lie and say I’m sorry when it’s obvious I’m not. I don’t enjoy lying, especially to those that earned my respect.”

To her surprise he smirked back, his ego shining through as his chest puffed up, “Good answer. I would have thought less of you if you did, but you seem to have forgotten something professor.”

She held herself back from cringing at the title, “Yeah? And what’s that.”

He leaned forward to point a sharp gloved phalange in her face, “You used my position in the Royal Guard to assert dominance over the students.”

Reed gave a weak, somewhat chagrinned chuckle. He wasn’t wrong. Before she could reply, Edge continued on, allowing his hand to fall back into his lap, and straightened his posture to afford a more militant air. “If this were the underground I would have flayed you for such disrespect, however I The Great and Terrible Edge, have learned much from the time when the barrier broke. It is not the same here as it was there. One cannot use brute force to quell the delinquent masses, and violence is not accepted as punishment, even when it is more efficient.” He grumbled the last part in a way that lead the woman to believe that there was a story there, perhaps even a few. “I am no fool, thusly I understand the necessity for such a power play, but do not underestimate me. I will not be so understanding the next time.”

As he had spoken, Edge’s smirk turned down into a serious expression, the skeleton meeting her eyes head on with challenge during his threat. Reed could have faltered beneath the near palpable heat of those ember like eye lights and taken a much more intelligent route of placating the Captain, but, all things considered, she felt flattered rather than afraid. She tilted her head further into her palm, and gave him a cheeky grin. “Bold of you to assume that I won’t take that bet Edge. It’s flattering to know that someone of your standing would even so much as glance in my direction much less feel the need to warn me ahead of time. Don’t fuck up in my class and I won’t point it out in front of them, unless of course this is all some odd Fell Clan form or flirting, then I’ll have to decline since fraternization between staff and students is frowned upon.”

Reed had heard a great many sounds in her life, but she had found her new favorite when she heard how it sounded when a flustered skeleton squawked.

Edge stared wide eyed at her, his face contorted into indignation and the barest magical glow upon his angular cheek bones once again. “That Was Not What I Meant You Wily Cur, And You Know It!”

She couldn’t stop herself from falling into a fit of giggles. He certainly had one Hell of a vocabulary, and she was appreciative that he only raised his volume marginally rather than the ear splitting boom she knew he could reach. “Calm down. I was joking.”

“Your humor is terrible.”

“It sure is, but I couldn’t hold a candle against the Great and Terrible Edge.”

“Nyeh! Of course not. No one could ever hope to reach my level of…..wait..”

Holy shit he walked right into it. Reed’s giggles turned to wheezing as he met her with the most wonderful deadpan expression she had ever seen. 

“Are you finished?”

“J-just give me a sec.” She had nearly fallen from her chair in her attempt to regain control of herself, a hand clutching her shirt as her lungs sent a painful complaint of their abuse. It took a few seconds but Reed was able to retrieve some of her dignity, pushing her self back into her seat face flushed, but posture back to something close to presentable. She took a deep calming breath. “Okay. I’m good.”

“I find your lack of professionalism concerning, and your humor deplorable.” He crossed his arms with a disappointed huff.

She waved a hand in front of her face, “There’s nothing to worry about. This _is_ an informal meeting remember. Once class was dismissed my ass was off the clock.”

“I see. Not only is your humor awful but your language is-“

“Disgusting?” 

“You are not going to let that go are you?”

Reed shrugged, gaze shimmering with mischief, “Maybe.”

He rolled his eyes, his frustration evident, “I was not calling human females disgusting, only the process.”

“Well sure. It can be a bit gross. I mean, we don’t like it, that’s for sure. I don’t know any sane person that would enjoy smelling like a discount meat market every time they take a trip to the powder room.”  
Her smile only grew as his brow bones lowered into an unimpressed glower. “Woman, If you are not careful one would assume that you show favoritism to that repulsive lout Jerry. They may even complain to that stench beast leading him to assume some sort of attachment.”

That made Reed shudder. “Ugh. Okay. Point made. You win. Let’s not go down that road and call it even okay?”

He made a show of considering her offer, lifting a glove to rub at his chin, taking his time so that she was left to sweat. “Edge?” 

He hit her with a grin that simply oozed smug superiority. “I suppose in the interest of future relations between monsters and humans that I could ‘forget’ that part of our conversation.”

“Oh thank fuck.”

“For now.”

“Oh fuck you.”

He sniffed derisively, a hand held to his chest, chin raised high in a dramatic pose, and looked down his nose ridge at her. “Unlike you, I have standards, and they are quite high.”

“Oh how it pains me that I will never reach them.” Reed countered glibly. 

“Yes, well, not every one can be as great as I.”

The two stared at one another for a beat before breaking contact, the human laughing while shaking her head, and monster hiding his own amusement beneath a twitching scowl. 

“Okay, okay. Well, “ Reed stood from her seat and ran her hands down her pants to smooth out the wrinkles. “As much fun as this has been, the last bell did ring a little while ago and I’m sure you have places to be. Did you have any questions before we end this?”

He stood as well, the man practically towering over her, especially with those heeled boots of his, in the small room and straightened his uniform. “No. That will be all professor.”

She nodded and walked over to opened the door for him to pass through. As Edge exited he halted to the side to stand at parade rest, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched her turn off the lights, and lock the office. When she had moved to the white board to erase the diagram she had drawn during the lesson, Reed paused to regard him questioningly. “Is there a reason why you’re still here?”

Edge scowled, and turned his head away from her, his words a low grumble, “As a member of the Royal Guard it is one of my duties to escort weaklings that would otherwise get themselves into trouble.”

“So what your saying is that your going to stay with me so I’m not left all to my lonesome in an empty dark classroom just in case some nefarious being decides to take advantage of the secluded space?”

She held back a chuckle when he grunted at her to “Stop being Stupid,” and to “Quit Dawdling.” He had places to be. Reed hummed as she cleaned the board, noting a certain set of eye lights peeking through the window of the hallway door, one white, and the other baby blue.

“Well, I’m glad that you take your duties so seriously. You’re a credit to the uniform, and I am sure that this has nothing to do with your friends out in the hallway waiting to ambush you with questions.”

“This Has Nothing To Do With Those Simpletons!”

“Sure sure.” She tossed the eraser onto the desk, and made her way to the rest of the light switches, casting the room into darkness. “I’ll take your word for it.” Reed then gripped the door handle to quickly open it, nearly bursting into laughter as Papyrus and Blue were revealed in the open door way, the set of skeletons frozen in poses that quite obviously showed that they were eavesdropping. It was Blue that move first, hopping up to wave at the unimpressed Captain, his teeth pulled into a cheery smile, eye lights morphing into stars.

“Hello Edge! Are You Done With Your Meeting? Papyrus And I Were Waiting And Wanted To Walk Home With You Like The Good Friends That We Are!”

Papyrus straightened, a clementine blush gracing his cheek bones for only a moment before he set his fists on his hips, “Indeed! Let Us Walk Home Together As Only Good Friends Do! We Were Not At All Trying To Listen In On Your Conversation, Even Though We Are Curious! We Were Only Waiting For Your Return Fellow Friend Edge!”

The fellow friend in question growled low, and raised a gloved hand to his face. He looked absolutely done with the antics of the pair. 

“Well, how nice of you gentlemen to wait for him. Go on home. I’m about done here.” She made a shooing motion with her hands to move along the trio as the brighter two attempted to bring their sharp compatriot into conversation, the latter looking as though he were about to snap. Reed paid them no mind as she shut the door behind them all, sporting a soft smile as she watched them move down the hallway. It was then that she decided to leave Edge with one last shouted parting comment.

“Captain Edge! Thank you again!” She bit back a snort when his posture stiffened, the skeleton suddenly picking up his pace to move farther down the hall, his confused companions in tow throwing her a hasty wave and Goodbyes before jogging to catch up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first off I'm sorry for the delay! A lot has happened since my last post. One such thing was catching the flu. Oof. Be safe out there dears! 
> 
> This chapter fought me so much. I had wanted to add more of the trio's interactions, specially after the class but I couldn't find a way to fit it smoothly. I may have to do a pov chapter at some point. 
> 
> Anywho, I hope y'all like it. 
> 
> And as always stay lovely you wonderful lot!


	10. Failure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reed goes home.

Reed had to admit as she watched the bone trio disappear around a corner, that her students certainly made every class an interesting and new experience. If only that excitement could follow her home, where all that awaited her was grading papers and general chores. She sighed to herself as she made her way back to the staff break room. It had only been two months into her new life and she was in need of a hobby. She had her electronics back, so perhaps she could pick back up on an old one? 

“That could work.” The woman thought as she shared a polite wave with a few passing students, “Though, I’ll have to be careful.” Her face fell to a thoughtful expression whilst she walked on autopilot down the pristine marble lined halls, “Who knows what kind of software was downloaded onto my laptop while it was being upgraded. I could probably use my old VPN. Hopefully that will be enough to keep prying eyes off of my search history as well as compatible with the Undernet.” 

She nodded to herself as she opened the door to the staff lounge. It was a moderately sized room with two doors. One lead to the kitchenette area where the ever vaunted coffee maker sat, along with a sink and refrigerator. The other door lead to a staff only bathroom, of which while rarely used due to the lack of human personnel was always kept sparklingly clean. The main communal area had a few couches, with several sets of tables and chairs of varying sizes to account for a diversity of physiques. Along the back wall stood a line of tall wood panel lockers, each having a small copper plaque with a number that would match to a key on a lanyard. 

Ready to pick up her purse and head home, Reed swept her key from her pocket and headed directly for a locker on the far side, ignoring anything else whilst she mused. She had a plan of action to assuage her boredom. She only hoped that it would be enough to fill the void that had begun to grow within her as the days went on. 

It seemed that keeping herself distanced from any social interaction other than the odd shallow benign acquaintance had started to catch up with Reed. She had promised herself to stay away from friendships or any other relationship beyond what was professional or necessary. The more she became attached to a person, or persons, she knew that she would become distracted and make the same mistakes of her past all over again. She told herself that she couldn’t afford to stray from the plan that she had worked over for so long. She had left everything behind so that she could have a proper future, one with more doors opened then closed. It was time to focus on herself. When she reached her goal, or as close to it as she could get, Reed would consider opening herself up. She would feel comfortable in making new connections, as well as reopening communications with those of whom she had left behind. The thought made her smile wistfully, and wonder what her family had been up to while she was away, a small bubble of sorrow worming its way into her heart. 

She shook it off with a frown. There was no need for that. They were fine. If the woman knew anything it was how strong her family members were, and how independent they lived. The same went for her friends back in her home city. She chuckled to herself as she unlocked the polished wooden door of her locker to draw out a plain black leather purse, slinging it over her shoulder. If anything the whole lot would probably snipe and snark at her for leaving as she had, without any word. She could just imagine how angry her friends would be, yelling at her and threatening to kick her ass before swallowing her in a hug. She did feel a twinge of regret for simply disappearing, but it was a necessary step. 

One couldn’t be too careful when it came to dealing with Monsters and the politics surrounding them. If Reed did find herself in a heap of trouble, then she could at the very least rest a little easier knowing that those she loved would be safe under the wings of anonymity. 

Was she paranoid? Of course. She would be the first to admit to that, she even had medical paper work to prove it, but as she was fond of reminding herself, it wasn’t paranoia that got people hurt;

It was complacency. 

Even with that reassurance, it didn’t help her in that she felt something was lacking in her life at that moment. She had more than enough money, even going so far as to hold back a good saved portion in her phone in case she ever met that well dressed skeleton again. She could easily pay her bills with enough to spare for entertainment, or other superfluous desires. She had a well maintained roof over her head. She had a job that she could be proud of, even if there were days that she wanted to pull her hair out from either the frustrations of her more rambunctious students, or the anxiety surrounding being brand new to the teaching game. 

She had graduated early from the liaison program, her therapist finding her knack for adjusting to a new environment and society to be more than sufficient for her release. She could go virtually anywhere in the city as she had her vehicle, or even take a tram if she decided to take a beautiful scenic route. Even her medical appointments showed vast improvement in her health and overall wellness. She slept far easier than she had in years, barring the few nightmares she would have on occasion, but it was far better than before. 

Every need one might have required for survival, and then some, had been more than met. 

Reed was free to explore any avenue she liked, she could even pick back up on her other older hobbies. 

The problem was, she had attempted that before and found herself still feeling listless. 

What was the point of writing if there was no one to read it? What was the point of cooking if there was no one to taste it? She could draw, paint, or create pottery but then there would be the same problem as before. She would have no real feedback. She could try to create and share it on the internet and the Undernet, but that thought didn’t appeal to her. It was far too difficult to gauge whether or not the responses were genuine, let alone the fact that she wouldn’t be able to see the expressions of those she showed her work to.

She did enjoy her hobbies while she was doing them, it was just that she always looked forward to peoples reactions. It wasn’t as though the woman sought out attention, or was attempting to fish for compliments. For her it was the smiles, or excitement. If she could make a person’s day better with a fluttery romance, or a gifted piece of art, Reed felt accomplished. She adored it when she could bring something new to the table. One such example was when she cooked.

There was very little that could put as bright of a smile on her face as when she put together a meal from scratch that made others feel satisfied, and full. Her passion for food wasn’t based on the fact that she liked to eat. It was how well it could bring people together, and how happy it made her feel to share something of herself, especially if the meal had fond memories attached to it. That was one of the reasons she specialized in world cuisine. Nothing could quite scratch a nostalgic itch like having a meal that she once had when in a foreign country. It was even better if she could share the unique flavor with others and have them find a new favorite.

Reed hummed to herself and chewed on her lip as she absently made her way towards the staff parking lot at the side of the large main collegiate building, her flats crunching down the gravel path that was aesthetically placed to weave through the grass and around patches of colorful flowers. Thick trunked trees dotted the grounds in front of the sandstone colored building that had been fashioned to look like a smaller version of a European castle, its large windows glittering with yellows and oranges from the late afternoon sun. Small packs of students could be seen either lounging on the lush lawn, rushing to their next class, or taking time to eat at a few of the stone tables that rested beneath a few of the trees protective canopies. 

Reed sighed heavily when she found her vehicle at the back of the lot, unlocking it with her key fob. “I’ll have to figure something out, otherwise this is just going to get worse.” The last thing she wanted was to fall into a depression. Humans had psychological needs, and if they weren’t filled it could cause all manner of problematic emotional upsets, of which she felt she had no time or the energy for. Her psychologist had been grousing about that during her more recent appointments. They would wag a finger at her in admonishment every time she didn’t report making a new friend or joining in any of the staff functions at her job. The fact that they essentially had a giant hand for a head only made the gesture more poignant, if a tad bit amusing from an outside perspective. She knew they were concerned for her mental health, but she couldn’t bring herself to genuinely jump into the deep end of the social pool. 

When she got attached, her priorities had a tendency to shift away from her own personal goals, her vision narrowing.

She had a bad habit of trusting too deeply when she found herself caring about others. It could be a real pain in the ass to deal with. It wasn’t them, of course, not always, it was, as her friends back home would call it, her “martyr syndrome.” Reed grimaced as she remembered the times in her history where she had blindly given too much of herself alongside her bank account. Of course, the woman knew why, she wasn’t completely unaware of her weaknesses and faults. Her want to give didn’t always bite her in the ass, but when such happened, it did so in a big way.

For years Reed had felt like a burden to those around her. If it wasn’t because of her physical ailments and how they had barred her from working like a normal person, it was her mental instability on top of it. She thought back on the time where she had gone to live with a boyfriend, of whom had aided her in escaping from her manipulative and emotionally abusive ex-husband. They had met while she was still married, but only dated half a year after she had fled. Her ex husband had been slowly moving towards a more physical route of control when she met her boyfriend, the man pointing out to her how badly she was being treated. 

Reed grit her teeth as she opened her car door to sit behind the wheel, slamming it shut. She had been so blinded. Both men had given her sob stories and she ate them up like an utter fool. Her ex husband oft spoke of how his ex-wife had cheated on him, and how it broke him. Her young self had done all she could to try and show him that even if he was hurt, not every relationship would end up like that. He didn’t need to suffer with his fear of being hurt again. She was a faithful partner and let it go when he hacked into her accounts, made accusations, or woke her in the middle of her sleep cycle touting about a nightmare he had of her cheating on him when he knew she had work. It was when he had made moves alluding to his entitlement to her body against her own wishes that she could no longer make excuses for his behavior. 

He was a manipulative piece of shit. 

Her ex boyfriend was no better.

After she moved in with him he began to change, using her appreciation for his help against her. She wound up paying to keep the lights on, as he lamented how rough he had it at work. When he was fired for mouthing off to a superior she had to work for the both of them to survive. All she could find was a dead end job as an underpaid waitress. Every day was filled with pain, and exhaustion. When she asked about his job search he would cry about how hard it was to find one, and complain about their lack of food. He would cry to her about how he wasn’t as strong as she was, having never been taught by his parents how to deal with the world. He oft spoke of how they neglected him and that he was trying to learn what he could. He even had begun to complain about how much gas his sport car used in order to get her to work.

It was when she found him using her lap top to send sexual messages to an old flame rather than filing his resume that she had enough. They had argued and fought. Before she knew it, she had been kicked out of his house with nowhere to go, her belongings that he couldn’t sell littering the lawn. 

That had started the year she had been homeless, having to lower herself to certain tasks to survive. It was a time she did not want to relive. Unable to contact her family, the woman was left to seek help from those around her that she had believed had her welfare in mind. They had a place for her to sleep, and food to eat but once she was settled the head of the household made it known his position and what was “required” of her. It was a blessing to get away from that situation. 

Reed didn’t regret what she had to do in order to scratch her way out of that predicament, only the fact that she still felt inherent guilt over her own failures, whether they be of the romantic variety or related to her occupation prior and the scars it left on her. It was that deep set guilt that had her so easily worked under their thumbs, wanting to prove to herself that she was indeed still useful to those around her, that she wouldn’t hold them back. It hurt to know that even with all of her hard work and tenacity it was by the kindness of her true friends that allowed her the step up she had needed in order to get back on her feet and away from her mistakes. The guilt twisted in her chest at the thought of others cleaning her mess. She was still on the more poor end of the scale, having to rent under one of them just to have a roof over her head, disability only getting her so far, but it was far better than before. With all of that, she felt as though she had so many debts to pay, karmic and otherwise. 

That was one of the reasons why Reed had decided to apply for citizenship with the Monster Council. 

She had made a vow to herself that she would stand firm on a solid foundation that she had built without having to be a burden on others. She would prove to herself her own worth with effort and hard work. She would never be helpless again. She wanted to reteach herself how to look at the world. She wanted a future where she didn’t feel compelled to make up for her own existence, or question what the point of existing was. She wanted to take care of those around her because she enjoyed it and had the ability to, not because she felt as though she needed to balance the scales.

Reed wanted to make up for who she had been by becoming what she wanted to be.

“Failures,” Reed trailed off as she turned over the engine of her car, the vehicle coming to life with a quiet purr. She had barely suppressed the break to change gears when an image came to her unbidden, and unwanted, causing the woman to choke.

A small child’s arm, the tiny pudgy fingers set in a relaxed curl. 

She sat frozen, her throat tight and panic rising. “Fuck. Shit.” Shaking fingers released the steering wheel to clutch at the front of her shirt. “No. No. No. Not now.” Breaths came, shallow, hot and quick. The cabin of the car felt too small, and suddenly sweltering. She couldn’t breath. Every sound save for a persistent high pitched keen was muffled and her peripheral vision narrowed.

“Dammit.” She was in the first stages of an attack. Quickly she opened her door and thrust herself out of the car, taking large measured gulps of the late afternoon air, careful to keep herself hunched so that she remained out of sight of the students on the college lawn. Reed shoved her hand into her purse for her phone, unlocking it and looking for some sort of distraction. As she swiped trembling fingers over the screen to look through videos she forced herself to pay attention to her breathing, slowing it as much as she could. She had already started to feel the effects of vertigo. 

The lecturer was in luck that day, forcing herself to multitask between finding a distraction and leveling her breathing had been enough to thrust the image that had caused her distress from the front of her mind. That, and added onto it the fact that she had heard footsteps approaching far too close to her position causing her instincts to sing in a cacophonous clamor that she couldn’t be seen in such a state. By dent of those factors the dice had been cast in her favor, making her able to shove the panic down into a box. 

For what seemed like hours, yet was merely a few moments, Reed remained crouched beside her car, continuing to breath in slow measured breaths that had finally begun to cool the chaotic fire inside of her chest. Her gaze roved over the lot, eyes focused for movement and halting sparingly on shadows. She strained her ears to follow the foot steps as they took their time meandering somewhere a few cars away. It was then that she heard the excited chatter of a few students going over preparations for some sort of get together to celebrate passing an exam as they passed her position.

Reed didn’t move until she heard the tell tale slam of a few vehicle doors that followed fond farewells. She couldn’t afford for anyone to see her looking like a mess, and asking personal questions. Popping her head up she made a visual sweep of the parking lot, and after finding no one, climbed back inside of her vehicle. She wasted no time putting it into gear and backing out of the parking spot to head home.

The drive had lasted no more than twenty minutes, but to her, it might have well been hours. An aching exhaustion fogged the edges of her mind, and clawed at her joints. Somehow she had gathered enough of herself to exit her vehicle with an affable smile and cheerful wave for her neighbors, head held high and steps light as she unlocked her door to the safety that lay inside. 

Once within the walls of her house, Reed sagged with a self disgusted groan, a hand rubbing at her face. “Well that was fucking peachy.”, She grumbled, kicking off her shoes, and tossing her bag onto the couch. She divested herself of her jacket, hanging it on a hook beside the door, before locking said door, the bolt giving a satisfying clunk. 

She faced her home finding herself at an impasse of what route to take. She could go to the kitchen first to make herself a plate of something edible and a cup of some sort of caffeinated liquid, but she knew that once sat down her will to move any further from the table would diminish to near nothing. She winced, remembering the hell she had gone through with stiff shoulders and an aching neck the last time she fell asleep there. It wasn’t the best choice.

On the other hand, she could go to her bedroom, lay out a fresh set of house cloths, and draw herself a blessedly hot bath. It would certainly guarantee a small amount of relaxation for both her mind and body, most likely giving her some modicum of renewed energy. Unfortunately, it would be at that point that she wouldn’t be able to make excuses for herself putting off her personal report on how awry her class had gone, nor her prior plans to actually try to be productive with her personal time. 

Both felt like hard work. Reed took a moment to contemplate simply flopping onto her couch and ignoring the fact that anything existed, instead she took a deep breath before giving herself a mental slap. The woman had things to do, and nothing would get done if she sat there all night like a lump. 

In the end she had chosen the bath. 

One may think it silly to stew in anger at one’s self for not taking the lazy option, but then anyone that would hold such an ideal wouldn’t know what the term “normal life” meant, let alone the battle of priorities for the unendingly employed, or the eternally tired. In a few words, the life of a responsible adult. 

Reed was once the former, but had become ‘blessed’ with the latter, her compulsion for needing to “get the job done”, turned ball of anxiety lest she fail to perform serving as motivation. Of course, she was by no means a workaholic, she simply had the tendency to fall into a negative mental scape whenever she wouldn’t follow through. For years the woman had reaped the rewards of procrastination through the loss of opportunities or living in a space that smelt of depression and stale corn chips. 

On the reverse side, during that time, and even to that day, Reed had a bad habit of going above and beyond her limits, especially if she felt morally obligated, or was doing so for someone she respected. That generally led her to a generous basket full of painful flares, and sleepless nights, however she never felt it fair to feel regret. Reed had made the mistake of outright ignoring her limits, feeling that she may as well earn those random bouts of agony, rather than suffer through them at random for no foreseeable reason.

Reed couldn’t help the wry grin that settled on her lips as she remembered a phrase that had become a staple for others to use as a description for her. 

She was an overachieving underachiever, and vice versa. One day she would be milling about her room winding away countless hours watching internet videos about nothing in particular promising herself that she would finish that art piece on the floor, while another she would volunteer to the grueling task of security for a mass event to the benefit of her friends with no breaks and constant movement to the next medical emergency or aggravated altercation. 

It had always seemed to be a toss up between the two extremes with little to no middle ground;

Except for in that moment when she had settled herself onto the surprisingly comfortable sofa in her living room with a laptop purring away in her lap, and adorned in the most comfortable pair of pajamas that she could find, an energy drink at her side. Reed was somewhat refreshed from cleaning away the day, having enough energy to finish her report quickly and had found herself with the daunting task of attempting to walk the tightrope of acting social without the necessary bonding requirements of having an actual relationship. It would be a harrowing battle, but she felt that she must persevere for the good of her own mental health, or at the very least so her therapist would get off her back.

Reed shuddered at the thought of her therapist getting to the end of their rope enough to slap a person. It would be the most epic, and dire, of back hands the world had ever seen. She wondered, with a healthy dose of levity, if they would make a killing as a pimp. 

She shook her head. It wasn’t the time for procrastination into flights of fancy. She had “relaxing” to do, via finding interesting ideas on the internet and Undernet with the hopes of coming across a media site, or one off chat room that would suit her needs. It would be easy. All she had to do was peruse the usual places, and instead of lurking, she should reach out to say hello, just like back when she was in school.

“Easy my ass. Young me was also an idiot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all you lovely people! Lots have been happening on my end, so it's been a bit crazy. Well, crazier if you think about the world events. 
> 
> Anywho, this bitch has some news. 
> 
> I now have the wonderful privilege of gaining a beta reader. I am absolutely stoked as this person is not only awesome but she doesnt hold back on the critique. 
> 
> Hopefully this means I can crank out chapters more quickly. 
> 
> Anywho, I wish you all well, and that you stay safe in these 'interesting' times.


End file.
